O One Bred of Light
by The Ashen Sun
Summary: Meet Ely, a relatively normal teenage girl who happens to have the wounded Link in her town. Normalcy leaves along with Link, as one day she wakes up and finds out that she had to save her homeland from a new threat; the Twilight. TP
1. Prologue: Take It On?

**Do you know if you'll survive another day?**

_A simple wounded teenager brought about dire changes._

**If you can fight something invisible to everyone else?**

_When your own family can't see you. _

**When friends are possibly gone forever?**

_When promises may be broken?_

**Long ago, Ganondorf led the Gerudo and some Sheikah into the Sacred Realm, with the Triforce as the goal. In their element, the Goddesses banished them from the Realm of Light, chased them across the realms until they were banished to darkness. **

**Ganondorf wasn't lucky enough to escape with such a simple fate. The Goddesses imprisoned him in Limbo while they contemplated his fate. And while they did, the former criminals began to assimilate to their new lives.**

_They changed forms, and no longer did they hold those bitter feelings. They became the Twili. _

**A good decade or more later, Ganondorf finally faced judgment day. The Sages chained him down in the mirror chamber, and executed the villain.**

_However, Ganondorf held a shard of the Triforce, and was revived. _

**He killed the sage of water and, in a frenzy, the Sages activated the Mirror of Twilight and banished him to the realm. They buried the mirror so no one could get in.**

_Or out._

**Until about a century later, when an evil known as Twilight spread across the lands of Hyrule and Cateline. **

**When no one knows what it is, would you be willing to fight it?**

_If you were just a normal person, could you save your homeland?_

**You don't know what it is.**

_You don't know where to find it._

**You have one ally.**

_Every single odd is against you._

_**It's torn families and friends apart.**_

_Bearing_

**All**

_Of_

**This**

_In_

**Mind.**

_**Do you think you could take it on?**_

**

* * *

****Disclaimer: No, I don't own Legend of Zelda. However, I do own many of the characters in this story, coz I put a lot of OCs in there! But they won't make your brain hurt, coz you're not the one keeping track of them! **

**This is my first LoZ story, and it's _really _long. On word, it's 129 pages. And it has a sequel in progress! By the way, the switching between bold facing and italicizing the writing wasn't a mistake. If you keep reading the story, you'll find that there's a meaning between the two.**


	2. Chapter 1

**We finally get the story going!!! First chapter, up!**

The sun hit my face full force, as my bed was right by the window. Well, it's time to get up. With a yawn, I pushed the covers back, sat up, and stretched. "Morning, Miss Elyon." That's me, 'Miss Elyon,' as the young maid so eloquently put it. My Nana (Kaye) is the City Leader, a mayor-ess if you will. I got out of bed, and the maid handed me a robe.

"Thank you, Kessey." I answered.

"Shall I get your clothes set while you eat?" She asked.

"No, thank you, though." I replied. "Only when Nana will tan my hide if I don't look perfect. Today, thankfully, isn't one of those days." I tied my robe shut, and headed down to the dining room. We lived in the town manor house, we being my Nana, my "siblings", and I.

Speaking of the devils. . . "Kina, don't hit your sister!" Nana scolded.

"But she's stupid and doesn't know that bacon is finger food!"

"Kina, don't call your sister stupid." Kain muttered.

"Yeah, don't call me stupid, only an idiot would make that mistake." Sasha stuck her tongue out at her twin.

"Don't call each other names!" Nana yelled suddenly. Obviously this had been going on since before I got here, Nana normally doesn't have a short tempter. "Now shut your mouths and eat your bacon the way you want to! And I will have no more name calling at this table."

I took a seat next to Axel, and dug into my food. You probably want to know about my family, right? Let's meet them, shall we?

At the head of the table, sat Nana. She's basically my Mother, though she's a Grandmother to my "siblings." Her chestnut hair was streaked with gray, and her blue eyes were still working well.

On her right was Kain, he was the oldest out of us, he's nineteen. He had red hair, and bright green eyes.

Kain's little brother is Axel, sitting on Nana's left, he's my age, seventeen. He's got black hair, and matching pools of obsidian.

Their little cousins were twins; Sasha and Kina, they're both seven. Sasha was older by five minutes, and they looked different. Sasha had dirty blonde hair, and blue eyes. Kina, on the other hand, had brown hair and matching blue eyes. Thank goodness for their hair, it's nice to be able to tell them apart.

Then there's me, Elyon. I have brown hair; it's actually pretty long, about to my mid-back, and golden eyes. Also, on the back of my right hand is the marking of a pair of gold angel wings. I have no clue what they are for, or even what they are, so don't ask me about it. And my ears made me stand out too; they were pointed, just as a Hylian's were. A Catelinian had normal, rounded ears. "Ely," my nickname, "Did you hear?" Kina asked.

"Hear what?" I asked slowly.

"The Prince is coming!" Sasha cried happily, and her bacon fell off her fork.

What?! "What?!" I yelled, almost choking on my juice. "What do you mean he's coming?"

"Well, he's at the age of marriage and he's looking for a wife. . ."

"Oh, no, no, no!" I started. "There is no way-"

"There's to be a ball in every town and every girl eligible for marriage is to attend." Kain interrupted.

"Is it mandatory?" I asked.

"Yes, so you must have a dress!" Nana answered.

I thought for a moment, "Nana, all my dresses are too small." I grinned, "So I guess I cannot go!" Yes! Perfect excuse! One must look simply divine for the Prince, and since I couldn't-

"We'll go through my dresses, and if none of them fit you, then we will have one made post-haste." What are they trying to do?

"You want me to marry the Prince, don't you?" I inquired dryly.

"He's a fine fellow, Ely, and I think you would make a fine Queen. I've raised you so that you can mingle with royal folks, don't doubt that-"

"But, Nana, I don't want to be a Queen, or a Princess for that matter." I protested.

"You're going whether you like it or not! That is the end of that! And you will be kind to the Prince while he stays here. Come to my room later and we shall see about the dress." Nana normally wasn't like this, but I know she just wants me to have the best. I downed the last of my juice, and looked at her.

"May I please be excused?"

"Of course you may!" As if nothing bad ever happened. . . I rose from my seat and went back to my room to get dressed. I pulled out my simple purple dress and short sleeved, off the shoulder white top. Assuring myself that I looked okay, I went to visit out guest.

Well, he's our injured guest, but that's not the point!

You see, a few days ago, when Axel and Kain returned from Hyrule, they had brought a hurt young man with them. They said that Hyrule was going crazy, and that he needed help. The doctor was called, and the boy was diagnosed with a deep gash in his shoulder, a couple of broken ribs (two, I think), and numerous scrapes and bruises. Doctor Ithal stitched up his shoulder, bandaged his ribs, and put some ointment on his scrapes and bruises. The boy hasn't woken up since, well, not when I was there.

His room was darkening, as clouds began to fill the sky, and no one had bothered to light some candles. I sighed, (the nerve of some people!) and lit a candle, placing it on the nightstand. The boy looked peaceful as he slept, and a soft wind that blew through the open windows ruffled his dirty blonde/almost brown hair, making him seem angelic.

Now I feel weird, gee, thanks breeze. That's when I noticed the gold chain around his neck. Hanging on that chain was a ring. It was gold, and upon closer inspection I saw an amethyst heart, and, perhaps, diamond angel wings branching off it. I'm not as good with jewelry as Axel is; he's studying to be a jeweler. In short, the ring was beautiful. A groan snapped me out of my admiration. "Where am I?"

"You're in the City Leader's house, in Legacy." I responded to the now awake boy.

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar. . ." He replied in a drowsy voice.

"Legacy is the smallest town in Cateline," I answered, stepping backwards towards the door. "If you'll excuse me for a second, I need to get the Doctor on call." I turned and jogged to the door, sticking my head out, I looked around. I spotted a maid named Tally. "Tally, go get the doctor! The boy is awake!"

"The boy has a name." He stated once I turned back into the room.

I blushed, "Sorry, you just haven't waken up when we were around so we could figure out your name. I'm Elyon, but you can call me Ely. You are?"

"My name is Link," he paused, "And I suppose you can call me that." We laughed. "I'm in Cateline right now?"

"Yes."

Link chuckled nervously, "I'm not so sure where that is in proportion to Hyrule."

"I'll show you once the Doctor leaves, how about that?" I asked.

"It's a deal." He answered. I smiled at him, and Dr. Ithal took that moment to barge in. I walked to the door.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, Link; I have to go get a map!" I walked out, and down the hall to the library that was open to the public. I stepped onto a stool, and began to sort through map beyond map, for about five minutes, before I said: "Who needs so many maps?" Two minutes later, I _still _hadn't found the map. "How many maps do we even have?!" I cried, only to be met by a chorus of people shushing me. I humphed, I was going through a crisis and they _shush_ me? How rude! After ten minutes of searching in total, I found the map I was looking for. Finally! With a joyful leap off the stool, I fled the mean shushers and walked back to Link's room. I peeked inside to find Nana there, and Link in the middle of having his bandages changed.

"-Walk around, but no putting strain on your shoulder! The stitches may tear. Your ribs have healed, but those were almost healed by the time you got here. You seem to get beaten up a lot young man." Dr. Ithal continued to ramble on about proper care on how Link would heal, and a few minutes later, left.

"Does he ever stop talking?" Link asked. "No disrespect, but he walked in and started talking, and didn't stop until he left. . ."

I laughed, but Nana turned and gave me a look that made me quiet down. "I have the map, Link." I whispered, sitting next to him, and spreading it across our legs. "Okay, so this is a map of all of Hyrule and Cateline." I stated, "Cateline is this little bit right here," I pointed to a part behind the Zora's Domain. "Legacy is this town right here," I pointed to a place nearest to Hyrule. "Then here's Castle Town, Kakariko Village, and where are you from, Link?" I asked.

"Ordon Village." He replied, pointing to it on the map. He tapped it twice, "Yep, there's my home. It's been so long. . ."

"Link, I think you should walk." Nana interrupted. "And Ely, we need to go see about that dress."

"Dress?" Link asked.

"The Prince is coming," I started, "He's looking for a wife, and he's traveling to every town to find a suitable one and in every town-"

"A ball?" Link asked.

"You guessed it," I said through my teeth. "And for every girl of marriageable age, it is mandatory to attend. How lovely, right? And since none of my dresses fit me, I either need to borrow one of Nana's, or have one made."

"It's times like these that I'm glad I'm a man," Link said, getting out of bed as I rolled up the map, and set it on the bedside table.

"For something to look at." I said, noticing Link's wondering gaze on it.

"Come along," Nana said as she floated from the room. Link and I followed her, my stomach in knots. Kain and Axel joined them.

"Here to watch Ely go through torture?" Axel asked Link. "I'm Axel, this is Kain. We're Ely's brothers."

"Name's Link, nice to meet you." He replied.

"Okay, no, there is no way I'm wearing that!" I exclaimed.

"But, Ely, it's just your size."

"Look at it!" I cried. I grabbed it from Nana and showed the boys. "Look at it!" They all hid their laughs.

"It's certainly something that will catch the Prince's eye. . ." Axel snorted.

"You're so evil, Axe!" The dress was a shade a red that was _insanely _bright, and there was roses embroidered along the hem, it would go to about my ankles, and it laced up in the back. Two things I disliked about it, one was the color, too bright for my tastes, and then there was the _bow. _It matched my eyes, and was about a foot wide. "Who wears this anymore?" I asked.

"I wore it to my eighteenth birthday." Nana said. There's your answer! Nobody!

"Do you have anything else that would fit me?" I asked, desperate to see something that didn't make me want to be blind.

Nana looked through her wardrobe for a moment, before coming out with dresses. "Only these two. . ." One was green, nope! The other was, _perfect. _It was made of a silky material, one that felt like water beneath my fingers. The material was an azure color, with long bell sleeves, but it was off the shoulder. The neckline and hemline had a sash of gray about an inch wide that wrapped all the way around. Right where my hips were was a sparkling gray sash a couple inches wide.

"This one is," I couldn't finish my sentence. "Nana, may I wear this one?" I asked her. The boys were still laughing and poking fun at the bow dress.

"Slip inside my closet and put this on," she whispered. "We'll see how it looks and how it fits. Let's surprise the boys." Quickly, I did as she bid, and was tying the sash as I walked out.

"Ely? Is that you?"

"Oh, come off it, Kain!" I said playfully back.

"You look wonderful." He grinned.

"You do."

"You don't look just wonderful, you look like-like," Link started, he paused to think off a compliment, and I giggled. "You look angelic, like you were sent by the Goddesses themselves." I blushed,

"You think so?" I grinned slyly, "Then you wait until you see me when I'm actually at the ball!"

"But, I don't think I'll be going." Link said sadly.

"We're going." Axel shrugged, "The Prince can't have all the girls to himself."

"Yeah," Kain piped up. "A lot of other boys from around town are going too. Girls will need a shoulder to cry on when the Prince rejects them." They slapped a high five.

"Please come, Link." I pleaded, "I'll feel so much better if you're there!"

Link laughed. "Fine, I'll come. But only because you asked so nicely!" We were getting along pretty well, I had to admit.

"So, um, when is it?" I asked.

"Tomorrow night." Nana answered. "Prince Vaughn is arriving tonight." She looked at the sleeves. "What do you think if we slit these? Down the middle. We could give you some bangles and an arm band. . ."

"He's coming tonight?!" I asked. "Don't try and change the subject! Tonight?! Don't you think you could've given me a better warning then telling me this morning?"

"Kain, Axel, go find Link something to wear." Nana said. They left the room. "Link is a handsome boy." She started conversationally.

"He is," I agreed, forgetting about the negligence of the details of the Prince's arrival. "And he's been quite nice to me!"

She smiled, and a maid came in the room. I recognized her as Mira, one with tailoring skills. "Would you be uncomfortable if we slit the skirt a bit?" Nana asked.

"If we put to just above her knee," Mira said. "It wouldn't look daring, but show off some leg, and the possibility for anklets."

"We want to split the sleeves, too." Nana said.

"All the way?" Mira asked, making marks on the fabric with chalk.

"Yes. And let's split the skirt too." Nana replied. Mira marked some more with the chalk on my skirt.

"Are you sure you want to cut this, Nana?" I asked.

"It's not like I'm ever going to wear it again." She stated. "I'm much too old. This dress I wore when I was sixteen. You'll look beautiful." She sighed, and clasped her hands in front of her bosom. Though she tried to hide it, I swear I saw tears in her eyes.

* * *


	3. Chapter 2

**I didn't abandon this, I swear! It's all written and last night I spent about half an hour going through the document and separating all the different chapters. Now, all I have to do is proof-read the chapter I'm posting and get it up. Sorry, I was working on a different story of mine, it's for Harry Potter. Aaand, that's basically it. So, enjoy the chapter! I'm going to try and update everyday, but, we all know how my promises work out. . .**

After the session with my dress, I ventured out to find Link, deciding that he needed to see more of our town. He was sitting in the room he was staying in, and then I heard a voice.

But it wasn't Link's. Quickly, I hid in the shadows, where he wouldn't see me. "She's the one you need. She's the one who was bred from the light."

"This means. . . ?" Link asked, and I chanced a peek at who he's talking to. There's this. . . thing, it's got orange hair, red eyes, a odd helmet on its head, a black and gray body with numerous markings on it. I don't know about you, but that's definitely not normal.

"She's going to need to save Cateline."

"Are we still talking about Ely here? The girl who was worried about what to wear for a ball?" Me? What was this?

"Yes. You didn't see the wings on her hand?"

"If she has wings, I think I would've seen them." Link snorted.

"They're under her skin; they don't stick out, yet." Yet? What did it mean by yet? And _under _my skin? Could it get any more disturbing?

"Okay, so Ely is 'bred of light', now what?"

"You really don't look, do you, Link? Cateline is amazing. I have a feeling that Zant will be sending Twilight here too, soon."

"How soon?"

"I don't know. . . Just be careful." And it disappeared into Link's shadow. I straightened up, mentally counted to five, before knocking on the wall.

"Hey, Link? Are you in there?"

"Hi, Ely!" He said, smiling as if nothing happened. "What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to see more of town, maybe get some food too. The Confectionary makes really good sweets."

He brightened, "I'd love to."

.~:*:~.

We walked out into the sun, and Link shielded his eyes. "Sleeping for three days doesn't do wonders for your vision, eh?" I joked.

He laughed sarcastically, "Got that right." We waited until he said "Let's go." I paused for a moment, thinking of which way to take him.

"If we go right, we go the residential way, if we go left, we get to the bazaar, if we go straight, we hit the fountain plaza. . . Let's go left!" I took his hand, and we walked left-wards. I saw some of my friends that I used go to school with.

"Why are there a lot of kids working in shops?" Link asked. I laughed, and sat him down on a bench.

"They're apprentices." I answered. Link cocked his head, confused. "Schooling." I started. "When you're six years old, you start school. You learn how to read, write, arithmetic, and more as you grow up. At fourteen, however, you graduate, and move on to adulthood, or apprenticeship." I said.

"Oh, that makes sense." He replied. "Do you have an apprenticeship?"

"I did." I replied. "My contract ended the second day you were here, and Master Elijah had taught me all he knew about music. It was amazing. It started when I was ten, when I found out how much I loved the flute. Nana arranged it, and after school I would be there, learning from him until dinner, when I would go home." I shrugged. "If need be, he knows a group of respected musicians willing to take me in. But that's just a fall back." I stood up, "Let's walk."

I led him into the bazaar, and we bought some lunch as we kept on walking. I pointed out numerous stores, and waved to my old friends. "That's the temple," I pointed to a large building with a bell on top of it. "And the school." Another large building next to temple, with another bell on top of it. At the moment it was ringing, signaling the end of lunch for the students. Link and I watched kids walk back inside, relishing the last moments of their freedom and taking as long as they could. "Then there's the grandest place in the whole town." I started.

"Isn't that your house?" Link inquired.

I shook my head, "Nope! That's the second grandest. This, the Star, is the grandest building in the town. It's where balls, graduations, big meetings, everything is held! It's also where the ball will be tomorrow. Do you want to go inside?"

"Yes." So we did, they had already finished the decorations for the Prince's ball (stupid thing. . .), and they did a nice job. We stood at the top of the grand staircase, and looked down at the massive dance floor. On the other end of the Star was a stage where musicians would be playing. Through an archway led to a room where refreshments would be stored. Link walked around, taking in the stain glass windows, the intricate carvings and paintings all over the walls and ceiling. I, however, stepped onto the stage, and sat in the chair reserved for flutes, getting lost in a day dream.

_We had just played the most beautiful song, and I had done a wonderful solo. The crowd was cheering and clapping and giving me a standing ovation. I stood, and bowed when the conductor motioned for me to. Standing front row, center, and clapping loudly, was Link. He-_

"Ely?" Link snapped me out of my thoughts.

"You ready?" I asked. "You'll be back here tomorrow, but it'll be pretty crowded, just a forewarning." I cautioned.

He shrugged, "I'll deal."

We left the Star, and ended up in the Fountain Plaza. "That's the Fontaine Fountain." I said, "It was built," I paused, "Uh, no, um. . . A long time ago! We'll go with that! And we often meet up and gossip here. You're also allowed to get a drink, everybody does it."

I dipped my hands in the water, and took a big gulp. Link followed my lead, but dumped some of it in his hair. "Elyon, is that you?" Oh no, please, just let me be imagining it. Please. . . "Oh my gosh, it is!"

I cursed inwardly, and turned towards the voice. "Sopie, hi! It's been a while! How are you?"

"I'm good."

"So, what have you been doing lately?"

"My apprenticeship, fighting off my admirers, the norm."

"Oh, so you're an apprentice? Who is you teacher?"

"My Mistress is Madame Bellafonte." Sopie said snidely, (try saying that five times fast!).

"The dancer?" I asked. It was highly impractical to be a dancer; you have such a short life with that job.

"The one and only." Sopie smirked. "How about you?"

"I'm mostly taking care of Kina and Sasha now." I stated.

"No apprenticeship?" Sopie asked, almost pleased. That little. . .

"No! Mine finished. Seven years. Since I was ten years old." I watched the triumphant smirk slide off her face with pleasure. "Under Master Elijah, I learned everything he knew about music."

"He trusted you enough to tell you everything he knew?" Sopie gasped. That was rare, but. . .

"Didn't I just say that?" I asked. "Are you going to the Prince's ball?"

"I am. But who is your friend?" She asked, a sly look on her face. Link had been examining something while we talked, and had just appeared.

"This is Link, Link, this is Sopie. She and I went to school together. She's training to be a dancer." They exchanged the commonplace greetings, and Sopie said.

"Will we be seeing you at the Prince's ball, Link?" She questioned, batting her eyelashes.

"I'm going, yes." Link said.

Sopie gave a venomous smile. "I'll see you there then. If you'll excuse me, I promised I'd meet Mistress Bellafonte soon, to help pick out her costume." She flounced off, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I hate her." I seethed. "She's so, ooh!" I fumed. "She just gets under my skin!" Link sat me gently on the edge of the fountain, wet his hands, and patted my hot face.

"Slow down, breathe." He instructed. "Now, tell me about Sopie, you said you went to school together. . .?"

"She was always competing with me." I started, trying to sum everything up. "She wanted everything I had, it seemed. I came in on the first day of school, first ever, in a white and purple dress. The next day, she comes in with the exact same design, except the dress was pink where the white was on mine. She said that she had it forever, but I saw her buy it after school the day before. It continued, like that, I had something cool, and she would want it.

"The next year, Nana had taken us to Hyrule over the break. And she had gotten me this Triforce necklace, and I wore that the first day of school. Sopie stole it that night, after school. Everything was calm until my fifth year, when we were eleven. I was called on to write on the board, and the wings are on my right hand, and that's the hand I write with, everyone saw them, I'm sure, and the next day she comes in with fake wings on.

"She would flirt with every boy, to see who I fancied, to annoy me; she did everything she could to make my life miserable. And her dancing apprenticeship? It's because of my musical interests. . ."

Link blinked. "Wow. . ."

"And it really doesn't help that almost every boy in town is after her heart."

"Yeah," a new voice said. "Boys fit in with Ely, we mostly are her friends. She's quite beautiful, but we love her like a sister." A figure jumped down from the city wall. His hair was white, and his eyes were a red/pink. No, he's not an albino.

"Link, this is my friend Hunter. Hunter, this is Link. He's a new friend of mine."

"Sopie's caused Ely so much grief over the years; it breaks my heart to see that."

"One day, Ely, I know you'll have something that Sopie won't ever be able to take away." Link assured me.

I just hope he's right. "Please, please be right. . ."

.~:*:~.

I leaned out my window as the fanfare continued, completely wrecking my mood. The Prince was here, and to get out of this, I pretended to have an upset stomach, which wasn't a lie, as it was in knots. Nana told me to get to my room, and rest up, that I needed to be well for the Prince's ball. Pouting, I shimmied back under my covers, and tried desperately to get to sleep.

. . . Despite the roar of a ceremony in the streets _right beneath my window_.

* * *


	4. Chapter 3

The next day, I woke up with breakfast on a tray on my table. I got out of bed, and padded over to it, to find a note from Nana.

_Ely,_

_Stay in bed until it is time for us to prepare for the ball, I want you to be in tip top shape for the Prince! He cannot wait to meet you!_

_Nana_

That just killed my mood. Sighing, and suddenly not hungry, I nibbled on some toast so that I wouldn't regret not eating later. I sat back on my bed, and watched people bustle about the town. I curled up in a fetal position, sick with dread. What if the Prince said I had to marry him? I didn't want to be a Princess, or a Queen.

Not now, not ever.

.~:*:~.

A few hours later, I was sitting in a tub, having my body scrubbed clean by maids. My hair was dried, and brushed until it shone while the _curling iron _heated up. They did my make up before my dress was put on. They outlined my eyes with a cat-like design, and put blue eye shadow on. My cheeks are naturally rosy, so they left them alone. And my lips, they became a color between red and pink.

After that, they helped me into my dress, very carefully. Kessey secured a silver armband with some sapphires in it. They added some plain silver bangles, and slid one ring on my right middle finer. Just a silver band with a crescent moon design in it. Nana had decided on a pair of blue sandals for my feet, I clipped some silver bracelets on my ankles. Also, I pulled some blue earrings on, at the top of my ears.

My hair was dry now, so they began to work on it. I ended up with three braids on the right side of my head, each growing a little larger. The rest of my hair was curled, and a few strands fell were left free, everything else was pulled into a bun ponytail thing. . . Part of it was in a bun, but my hair is so long, some of it hung down, okay?

That's the only way I can think to describe it.

Finally, I was done- "We need something for her neck. . . It can't be bare like that, it doesn't look right. . ." I think I jinxed it.

"I know what you mean. . ." This would've been a good place to wear my Triforce necklace, but Sopie had to steal it!

"I think I have one that would look wonderful!" I said, I went over to my jewelry box, and ruffled through it until I found what I was looking for. I held up a necklace for the maids to inspect. It consisted of two filigreed crescent moons in silver back to back with a moonstone between them on a silver chain.

"It's perfect!" Kessey said.

"But it dips too low. . ." Cecily added.

"We'll double it!" Kessey declared, helping me fasten it around my neck.

"Please, please, _please _tell me I'm ready to go!" I begged.

Cecily nodded, "And not a moment too soon." With a big grin, and a hug of thanks for each of them, I swept out of the room. I hummed a tune as I walked along, and was met with numerous gasps when I reached the foyer.

"Ely, what happened to you?" Axel asked. "You're gorgeous!"

I smiled, "Thank you."

"Looks like we'll be fighting off boys with swords and shields tonight!" Kain joked.

"Protect thy fair Lady!" Link added, striking a heroic pose.

"You guys sure clean up nice." I complimented, Kain was in a black tunic, Axel in a blue one, and Link in a green one. Just like the one the hero wore all those years ago. . .

"Thank you." They replied. Link held his arm out to me, "May I escort the lady to the ball?" He asked.

"You may," I replied, taking his arm. The four of us stepped outside, and saw one of my friends passing by.

"Rennifer?!" I called, and she turned. It was her! I could never forget those gray eyes!

"Ely? My gosh!" This is what I call a _good _reunion. Unlike the one with Sopie. . .

"Ren, I've missed you! What have you been up to?"

"My apprenticeship with Mistress Mumtaz." She answered. Mumtaz was a historian; Rennifer was always fascinated with our history and language. It was a fitting apprenticeship. "What about you?"

"Mine just finished a few days ago. . . I've been spending time with Link, lately." I pushed him forward. "Link, this is my best friend Rennifer."

"Nice to meet you." He answered.

"He's from Hyrule." I informed her excitedly. "Kain and Axel found him hurt; we've been nursing him back to health."

"That's wonderful! A Hylian! Amazing." She replied. "And speaking of amazing, have you seen yourself, Ely Belly?"

I grinned, noting her compliment. "Not as amazing as you, Renni!" I replied.

She did look amazing. With her fiery red hair and gray eyes, there wasn't much that would match with her. However, she did look quite beautiful in a white dress. It had no sleeves, and no straps, the only thing that kept it up was a black corset type accessory that came to a point where the fabric ended, a triangle between her breasts. As a belt, she had tied a purple scarf, and had it hanging on her right side. "Thanks, Ely." She said. Kain offered her his arm,

"Shall we go?"

She giggled. "Let's not keep the Prince waiting!"

.~:*:~.

There was more than just dancing at the Prince's ball, there were acrobats, exotic dancers, and little girls from Legacy (Sasha and Kina included). Those little girls were all in matching yellow dresses; with a red ribbon in hand, the colors of Prince Vaughn. They were doing a dance they had been preparing for a while, and it was so adorable! Ribbons were twirled, and girls spun around, a bit of ballet was performed. Everyone was entranced by the simplicity and innocence of it, including the Prince. (He gave every girl a hug for a good job! How sweet! Wait, I'm not supposed to like him. . . Oops.)

Then it was the first dance.

People were scrambling to find partners, I, was just waiting around in the shadows, until a certain Prince approached me. "May I have this dance?" He asked.

"You may," Nana would kill me if I turned him down. We whirled on the dance floor, him leading me around.

"So, you're the famous Elyon? The Village Leader's eldest daughter?" He asked.

"I am," I gave him a sideways smile. "But you can call me Ely, Your Highness."

"May I inquire as to where you have been my entire visit, Ely?"

"In my room," avoiding you, but I'd die if I said that out loud. "I wasn't feeling so well, and Nana told me to rest up some I would be fine for tonight."

"Ah. . ." He concentrated on the dancing, and I didn't mind. I took this chance to survey the crowd. Everything began to blur together. One dance ended, I switched partners, I would be with a friend who would make rude (but funny!) comments about some of the party goers. A few dances later, Master Elijah found me.

"Ely, come. We've arranged for you to play with the band for a song."

"Really?" I asked. "But I can't! I mean-" He led me onto the stage, and I sat with the other floutist. This song was one I was so familiar with, and I found my flute being handed to me by Master Elijah.

"Go get 'em, kiddo!" And he was weaving through the crowd. Two sharps taps on the conductors stand brought my attention to what was about to happen. He raised his arms, the instruments went up. He prepared to conduct, the instruments went to our mouths/mallets went up. He moved his hands, we began to play.

It was a song that was quite common here in Cateline, the lyrics told of the tale of how Cateline came to be. . . It was my favorite song to play, I'll admit. I glanced up at the conductor to see how he was keeping pace, and caught sight of Link staring at me in awe. And I also caught Sopie making her way towards him, _wearing the Triforce necklace_.

I was going to kill her, plain and simple.

If not me, then someone close to me.

She will die, I swear it!

We finished the song (which was about seven minutes, believe it or not), and I was motioned to stand up. I did, and everyone applauded politely to me. Even Link, who was trying to- Oh no she didn't.

I do not feel like repeating myself, so please refer to the bit about Sopie's death for how I feel right now. Hunter decided he was going to dance with me, and tried to soothe me as we moved. The next time I saw them, Sopie was _all over _Link. She was giggling, batting her eye lashes, and leaning inwards to whisper in his ear over all the noise. _And _she was basically _hugging _him! It was a time like this that I really wished Link wasn't so nice, and that he would draw the line _somewhere_.

I breathed deeply, calming myself. I couldn't get worked up over this. It was like Link was my boyfriend, it wasn't like he was my property and no one could touch him. I only liked him as a friend, and I don't want Sopie to break his heart.

That's all it is. "Keep saying it enough, and maybe you'll believe it." Hunter whispered, before commenting on Lady Bellafonte. "What is she doing in that? I think I'd rather be blind then see that again."

I turned, and immediately regretted it. She was in this monstrosity of feathers. "I think I'm going to be sick." I muttered.

"You and me both." I chanced a glance back at Sopie and Link, and what I saw broke my heart in two. She was looking at him like he was the only one for her, and he was smiling like he liked it. Under the pretense that I was tired (as I had been dancing a lot), and needed fresh air, I stumbled out into the fountain plaza. Luckily, everyone was inside, and I was all alone.

I found a dry place on the edge of the fountain, and sat down. Too many thoughts raced through my head for me to decipher, so I'll spare you the head-ache. I brought my knees up to my chest, and placed my head in my arms, ready to cry. "Elyon?"

My head shot up.

"Your Highness? What are you doing out here-"

"Are you alright?" He sat in front of me, taking in my appearance. I don't think I looked to bad. . .

"I'm fine, just dealing with a lot of things right now." I answered.

Vaughn looked at the fountain, ". . . Do you even want to be Princess? Or Queen?" He looked dead serious, and I know that if I lied, Vaughn would know.

"No, not really." I answered. He seemed saddened.

"That's too bad. . ." He started. "I think you would make a great leader." Rejection is never easy, it never will be.

"Prince Vaughn, you're to kind. I just don't think I could handle all the stress coming from it. Even thought I was raised as the City Leader's daughter, I wasn't put under that stress. Kain was raised like that, not I."

"Has someone stolen your heart as well?" He asked, looking genuinely curious.

"I think so; I need to think about it." I answered. "But, please, I really wish to be your friend." I pleaded.

He smiled brightly. "That's fine. I'll always hold you in high regards, though, Ely."

I grinned at him. "Thanks, now go in there and find your perfect girl!" He sent me a smile, and walked back off.

I resumed my position. Knees up, head in hands, and began to think deeply. "Ely?"

Why is everyone interrupting my deep thinking? Seriously! Women aren't all that smart here, so I need this to make me feel un. . .worthless? I think. . .

I looked up to see Link. "Hi, Link. How are you?"

"I'm fine. However, I'm concerned for you." Really? How sweet. . . "You don't look to well."

I looked down. "I saw you with Sopie. . . She's always there, making me miserable."

"I noticed she was wearing the Triforce necklace."

"I'll bet she was just wearing it to annoy me."

"Elyon, were you jealous of her?" This is what my deep thinking centered on, if you didn't _interrupt _it, maybe I'd have an answer for you! "Take your time. I'm pretty patient."

And so I thought for a minute.

"I guess so. . ." I finally replied.

"What was that?" He asked.

"I'm jealous of Sopie because of you! I'm jealous that she clung to you like that. I'm jealous that she has a shot with you, and I don't-"

"What makes you think you don't have a shot with me?!" Link asked, rising.

"Look at you!" I replied, motioning to him. "You're handsome, and strong, and nice, and good with kids. Everything that won't work with me. . ."

"Why not?"

"I'm the town freak. No one says it, but everyone knows it-" He cut me off by kissing me. I'm not lying here, folks. Well, I guess that's one way to shut me up. He broke away about five seconds later, and stared straight in my eyes.

Like he was looking at my soul.

"Don't you ever call yourself the town freak again." He growled dangerously.

I grinned. "Only if you kiss me again." And he did. His hands came to a rest around my waist, keeping me close to him. My hands gently cupped his face, and it was a while before we broke apart.

"Save the last dance for me?" Link asked.

"As you wish," I answered, smiling blissfully.

That night I went to bed with visions of sugarplums dancing in my head. . .

Okay, maybe not sugarplums, but a certain blue-eyed Hylian instead.

* * *

**Ely's hair is a real hairstyle, but I did a horrible job of describing it. It's based off the cover photo of a book called _Ophelia _by the author Lisa Klein. It's a good book, so when you find it, I suggest you read it, especially if you liked Shakespeare's _Hamlet_.**


	5. Chapter 4

The next morning I walked to Rennifer's house, intent on seeing my best friend again. She opened the door before I could knock, dressed like she was ready to go out. "Ely Belly!" She exclaimed. "Just the girl I wanted to see!"

"Really?" I asked, shocked.

"I've got big news!" She giggled.

"_Really_?" I asked. "I do too!"

Renni opened the door wider, and let me in. "Come on in, then. I'll make us some tea."

"Well, why you don't go first?" I said while we were settled with our tea.

"Ely Belly, I don't know how to say this. But, I'm leaving. I'm going to Castle Royale."

It took a moment for that to click. "He picked you?! Oh, Renni, that's wonderful! You have no idea how happy I am for you!" I'm not lying here, folks. I really was happy.

Didn't we cover that I only wanted to be friends with the Prince? That I didn't want to be Queen or Princess? Or in any way royal? If you don't remember, go back and reread! I command you! "So, Ely Belly. What's your news?"

"I had my first kiss." I whispered after a pause, blushing slightly.

"Really? With who?"

"Link."

"What happened? Tell me everything!" And I gave her the play-by-play. She was my best friend, so I didn't hold anything back. Nana, however, and Kain and Axel, were entirely different cases. "Wow, that's amazing! Did you two dance together too?"

I laughed. "When we got back, it _was _the last dance of the night!"

"How is everything now?"

"I don't know." I answered. "See, we got back, and everyone was so tired that we elected to go to bed. He hasn't come out of his room yet, today. So, I'm nervous that all of this was a mistake." I finished sadly. The wound cut me deep. Changing the subject, I asked "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow. I leave with the Prince's caravan." Rennifer replied. I hugged her tightly.

"Then we must spend the day together! Catching up and doing this one last time!" I cried.

"We must!" She agreed. We finished our tea and set out to the bazaar, where some of the Prince's jesters were performing tricks. A makeshift stage had been set up and there was a considerable amount of people crowded around it, watching the jesters work. Rennifer and I climbed up to a small balcony to get a better view.

They did acrobatics and played songs while others danced. A few minutes later, they switched tactics. A small torch was lit, and someone blew on it. A dragon, nay, a _fire dragon_, appeared and moved above the audience.

Please, please, _please_, don't you _dare _come near me.

Why do I seem to jinx everything?

It steadily crawled up towards us, and I felt my grip tighten on the railing so tight that my knuckles turned white, palms became sweaty, and I heard my heart beat.

I was _terrified _of fire. There was a pretty ugly burn scar on the top of my left foot/ankle area from when Kain had accidentally dropped a burning stick by it, which started my shoes on fire and giving me a second degree burn.

I've been arson phobic ever since then.

"Let's go, Ely. We'll be seeing so many more jesters at court." Rennifer said, gently grabbing my arm and leading me away.

Everything was fine; it's okay to be afraid of fire.

Right?

.~:*:~.

"Ely, Ely wake up!" Someone shook me. I groaned,

"No, five more minutes!"

"Ely, please wake up." Hey, that's Link's voice. I opened my eyes, and rolled over to find his face illuminated by his lantern. He looked ready to leave. "Ely, I'm going back to Hyrule." He was completely serious. "I need to save my friends; I need to stop Zant and the Twilight."

I understood the urgency of his words. "Do you know how to get back to Hyrule?"

He nodded. "I have a map. It was dated a few months ago. . ."

"It'll be fine. Cateline doesn't change that quickly." I assured him. He moved to leave, but I grabbed his hand, and pulled him down.

I quickly kissed his cheek, and said "Go get them, O Great Hero." He blushed madly as he stood up.

"Oh, and before I forget." He set the lantern down on my table, and fumbled around his neck for something. "A promise we'll meet again." He said, placing whatever it was in my hand. "It was my Mother's, I believe, I've had it ever since I was little. I'm going to need that back, but just so you don't forget me. . ."

"I would've never dream of it." I answered him. With a final smile, he and I parted. Once the light of his lantern faded, I placed what he gave me in the moonlight, and saw the ring that was around his neck. I smiled sadly, and fastened it around my own neck, vowing to meet him again one day.

.~:*:~.

"I promised myself I wouldn't cry," I whispered chokingly as I held Rennifer's hands in my own. "And here I am, cue the waterworks!"

She laughed through her own tears. "I'm gonna miss you so much! I promise that I'll come back and visit! And I'll have you over at the castle too!" She grinned weakly, trying to make her departure better. Suddenly, she hugged me. "Where's Link?"

"He had to go save Hyrule." I whispered.

"I'll make sure he comes back for you." She replied. "Where did he say he was from?"

"A little village called Ordon, in Ordona Province, the southern tip of Hyrule."

"It's so far." She whimpered.

"I'll manage."

"Rennifer, I'm sorry, but we must leave now." Prince Vaughn said, coming up on his horse. She nodded, and wiped away her tears.

"Promise me you'll write." She begged. "I won't survive court unless you write me!"

"I promise." I whispered. We hugged one last time. "Be safe."

"I will." She let go. "I'll never forget you, Ely."

"And I you." I answered. Kain put his hand on my shoulder as Rennifer mounted Vaughn's horse.

"The wedding hasn't been set, but it will be a few months." He informed us. "You'll be invited once it is set."

"Thank you," I whispered. "See you, Ren."

"No 'good-bye'?"

"Good-bye lasts forever, and I'll see you again." I answered. And with that said, the Prince's Caravan took off.

* * *

** I feel proud that I can keep up my updating, especially when you've had a day that started at six and ended up seven at night away from home and the internet. One that was riddled with love fortunes, infuriatingly hard/painfully obvious jokes, _dirty _jokes, and a lot of deep conversing. Yeah, my day's been psycho! But tomorrow, is an early release! *Cheers*!**


	6. Chapter 5

The next day, something was different. First thing first, I had _wings. _Big, white, feathery angel wings poking out of my back. I felt something else different, my hands rested on leather. I found two gold blades with purple designs across them locked into a bow form. I spotted the spot where they separated easily. My outfit was also different.

Instead of my nightgown, I was in a white jacket that closed entirely in the front with golden clasps, with bell sleeves and arm warmers that went to my elbow and secured like a ring around my middle finger, coming to a point there, gold shorts that ended in the middle of my thigh and netting material up the sides, and big white (very impractical coloring) boots were by the side of my bed. And sitting on my table were two leather holsters, sheaths, whatever you want to call them. I supposed they were for my swords.

Then there was _him. _He called himself Psyche, and said he was my guardian. I believed him, because he had my eyes, and hair as dark as eternal night. He was at least six feet tall, and was quite calm. Even when I screamed bloody murder when I first saw him.

When no one came running, I panicked, and he explained.

Everything.

From the Dark Interlopers, to how the Twili came to be, to what happened with their throne (Zant usurping it), and now what was going on here. Apparently Hyrule wasn't enough for Zant, no, he wants it all. He sent his army to take over, turning everyone (except me) into spirits who were unaware of much of what was going on. Yes, come to think of it, why aren't I a spirit?

"Because you are bred of light." Psyche answered. "Your eyes prove so; no normal person has those eyes naturally."

"Okay. . ." I started.

"Your job is to save Cateline. Just as Link's is to save Hyrule. You're paths are separate now, and that kiss didn't make things any better." He gave me a look, to which I responded with shrug. "You must bring back the Guardian's power. Go to the temple of Calixtus the. . ."

"Guardian spirit of Cateline." I said with him. "Of course! He'll know what to do!" I started gathering my things.

"But be cautious." Psyche stated. "Cateline is no longer as you know it. Hold your weapons at the ready constantly. If you need me, I shall be a simple thought away." And he disappeared. Sighing, I continued to prepare for my journey. I stocked food and supplies in a bag. It was about a day's walk to Calixtus' Temple, unless. . . _Hey, Psyche, do these wings work?_

**Yes, however, you won't just be able to jump into the air and fly, even a bird needs practice. **"Well, like they say, no time like the present!" I answered.

_Wait, what about my family? _

**They can't see you anymore. No Catelinian can. **

_I'm on my own with you, aren't I?_

**Yes.**

_Unfortunately._

**Excuse me?**

_Hehe, let's go! _I walked out of the house, and headed to the town gates. I frowned, maybe I should've just jumped out my window and flapped my wings- Oh, wait! I see ivy! How could I be stupid enough to forget that? I quickly climbed up, and found myself at the top of the walls the surrounded Legacy. _Okay, now how do we do this?_

**Run until you reach the edge. Can you control your wings? **To prove that I could, I gave them a strong flap. **Run until you reach the edge, jump off, catch the updraft, and flap your wings to keep going. Not that hard. **Says the man stuck in my head. . .

I made sure my bag was secure, and started to sprint. I closed my eyes, felt the edge against the sole of my foot, and _jumped_. My wings opened, and I glided for a minute, before paranoia took over and I flapped my wings so I wouldn't eat dirt. **Elyon, open your eyes, no need to be afraid. **

_Call me El_- I opened my eyes, and was shocked. –_y. . . Have you ever seen anything like this? _Twilight was kinda calming, in some freaky way. . . If you got rid of the monsters, the dark Twili material constantly floating around (it didn't do any harm, just kinda annoyed me), and made people, oh, I dunno, _people _again, I wouldn't mind it that much.

**I don't think that's gonna happen. **Psyche replied.

He was right, unfortunately.

Twilight or not, flying was _amazing_. Up here all alone, the wind going through your hair, come to think of it, I needed to do something about my hair. I tried to multi-task, do my hair and fly, and it didn't work to well. **No time like the present to learn how to land! **Psyche sing-songed, using my phrase against me. There was a hilltop coming up, with a little river running down it, from a pool at the top. Ah, I needed a reflective surface! I glided closer to the ground, and touched down, running a few feet before I skidded to a stop. I tottered for a moment, before I regained my balance.

_Not bad, eh? _

**Not bad at all, now fix your hair, and let's get out here. **Heeding to his words, I ran my fingers through my knotted hair. I sighed when it didn't help too much, and dug through my bag, looking for my brush. I found it, and raked it through my hair, wincing painfully every time it yanked a knot free. When I was done, my hair was silky smooth, and my brush was covered in hair. I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail, and braided the rest, tying it off at the end.

Peering down at the mirror like water, I decided it looked good. **But an enemy could easily grab that and use it to their advantage, and to your disadvantage. **I sighed, he was right. I dropped my bag and started to dig through it, looking for something to pin my hair back. I found a hairpin that clipped with a design of a treble clef sign. It was pure gold, and a parting gift from Master Elijah.

"I swear I'll make this Kingdom right again." I growled, suddenly very upset with Twilight. "With this hairpin as my witness-" **cough **"-And this wacko in my mind-" **growl **"-I'm going to stop this Twilight and set things right!" I rolled my long braid into bun, and secured the end with the golden clip. I heard a rustling, and I stood up, as I checked the area for anything unusual, I yanked my two swords (Nyx and Helios) out of the holsters strapped to my thighs.

There was a figure coming this way, a spirit, but, not a spirit at the same time. I could actually see details in this spirit. Unlike the others, where I just saw a glowing ball burning with green flames. "Who goes there?" Psyche demanded, appearing next to me.

A figure appeared across the small pool, leading a horse to drink. It was wearing a form fitting black suit, with a whole bunch of gray accessories and a sword at its hip. Its hair was pulled into a ponytail where its hair tie was halfway down the long blonde strands, and had wrapped cloth tightly around the rest. It wore a scarf and hat, and had blonde bangs covering most of what I could see, but I saw red eyes. "I am Kalle, of the Skeikah. Who are you?" Was Kalle a guy or a girl. . .?

What? I could tell with all those bandages and covers and things!

"We are Psyche and Elyon, of Legacy." Psyche answered. Thankfully he did, otherwise I would've screwed it up. Kalle leapt over the small river, and approached us. I looked at him, and _tried _to look like I knew what I was doing. I hope it looked like I did. . .

"You don't seem to be of Legacy," Kalle said slyly. "I've heard legends of you, Elyon. The one bred of light." How did he know? I bet it's the outfit! I mean, who walks around in white and gold all the time? No, no. Now that I think about it, I bet it was the wings! What humans have wings? Seriously- "She is one that doesn't change into a spirit in the presence of darkness, as she is pure light."

. . .Or it could've been that.

Wait a minute. . .

"Shouldn't you be a spirit too?" I asked.

"I am a Sheikah, and we have a little more immunity to magic's effects due to our sorcerer skills."

"Let me see if I got this right," I started. "Sheikah are partial sorcerers, and because of that, you're partially immune to the spirit turning shadows?"

"At least," Kalle assured me. "That's my theory."

Psyche shrugged, "Sounds legit to me."

"Well," I started. "Now what?"

"Where are you headed?" Kalle asked. "I got side tracked heading to Calixtus' Temple. . . I'm trying to figure out the root of this evil."

I looked at Psyche, only to find that he was gone. _Sure, leave me in my hour of need. Thanks. _

**Any day, babe. I'd say give it a shot; see if you can go with him. **"Hey, where did Psyche-"

"Calixtus's Temple?" I gasped dramatically. "I'm going there too! Let's go together!" I grabbed his arm, and dragged him to his horse. He mounted, and we met a problem. "I fly, but I don't want to put a strain on your horse to keep up. . ."

He extended his hand to me. "Hop up, you can ride with me." I took his hand, and was planted on the horse's rump. It felt kind of weird to be sitting on something you can _see _through. **Get used to it; it's probably going to happen a lot**.

Sighing, I wrapped my arms loosely around Kalle's waist, (again, weird feeling, hugging someone partially _transparent_), and we trotted down the small slope.

.~:*:~.

After few hours of riding (and about an hour of flying on my part) and battling Twilight. . . _things_, Kalle, his horse (who's name I don't know), and I saw the Temple of Calixtus on the horizon. "Thank you! Home free!" I cheered, landing lightly behind Kalle on his horse.

"You just jinxed it, Ely." Kalle muttered. I hated that he was right. Before the entrance to the Temple, three shadow beasts awaited. The ones with the Libra (the zodiac sign symbol) shaped heads and dread locks? Yeah, those ones.

"I'm. So. _Sick_. Of. Them." I growled, and pulled my swords out. I connected them into the bow, and this green arrow appeared. I pulled the arrow back, let it fly. It landed between three of them, and blew up, taking the twilight beings with it. Process repeat for the remaining two. "Now that I see this, I'm afraid of what will be inside." We stared at the two large doors that led inside. "Hey, Kalle? What's your horse's name?"

Can you tell I'm trying to stall now?

"I have no clue." He admitted sheepishly. "I needed a ride, saw this, jacked it and rode."

"Nice."

"Yeah, I know." He chuckled. "But they haven't caught me! So it is nice!"

"Whatever you say, Kalle." I replied, breezing past him. I should probably explain the temple to you, shouldn't I? Well, let's start with the color. It's white marble. To get up to the doorway, you have to climb ten steps. I counted them once when my class took a field trip here. Once you get up those steps, there are five great pillars across the span of the front. One of them is smack dab in front of the doors, hiding it from view, though there was about ten feet between them. Pillars surround the rest of the temple, but they're plain old Doric design. The tops of the pillars were a complicated leaf design, commonly known as Corinthian. Above that was an area about a foot wide filled with a depiction of our history. It was a square roof, nothing big. Though, Nana said that when it was first built, there was this giant dome! But it was destroyed during one of the countless wars, and a straight roof replaced it.

We (Kalle and I) spent an _hour or two _going through rooms and destroying the Twilight bugs. Those little black swimmy things, ugh. There was at least five in each of the small rooms, and they kept making me chase them. In the big rooms, there was at least twenty! I plopped myself down in the prayer position by the spring once this was over (thoroughly exhausted), and murmured a prayer in Catelinian.

Don't get me wrong, I knew Hylian (how else was I supposed to talk to Link?), everyone speaks it here too, however, Catelinian used to be taught to everyone, but it stopped a while ago. Now we think of it as a dead language. The only reason I (and my siblings) knew Catelinian was because Nana decided that we should know, and has been teaching us it ever since we could speak.

Anyways, back to Kalle and I!

The spring started to glow, and Calixtus appeared. Kalle let out a yell, and jumped back. Calixtus was an eagle, but a big one at that, so I understood his surprise. "O one bred of light, out kingdom needs you." Well, that's obvious.

"Tell me what I must do, Guardian!" I replied.

"Brave Elyon, the great evil Usurper Twilight King Zant," there's a lot of adjectives for you. "Has left a puppet to enforce his rule. The Twilight Prince called Vitus resides in the throne room of our great Castle. The Castle of Cate." Okay, freeze for a minute. Quick history lesson for you. The man who discovered and founded out country was a man named 'Cate'. Where does the 'line' come from, you ask? Well, in our language, 'line' means 'land'. So, roughly, 'Cateline' translates to 'Land of Cate'.

Unfreeze!

"There you will find Vitus, at the top of the castle. Make haste and destroy him, for he controls the evil that has befallen the once sacred land of Cate. You have my blessing, young warriors." And Calixtus disappeared. The spring stopped glowing, and there was silence.

Until Kalle decided to break it. "Way I see it, we have a few choices. One, we could camp out in here, safest choice. Two, we could camp out outside, at the mercy of the Twilight. Or three, we could keep moving, again, at mercy of the Twilight."

I thought, "I think we should stop here for the night. Start planning." So we did. Kalle had a map of Cateline (which I knew by heart, that's what you get for being so close to a library. . .), and I had a map of the layout of the castle and surrounding area, as I didn't know that well.

With chalk he had, we began to mark a route, the quickest one we could take without putting ourselves in mortal peril. "We'll have to see what it's like around the castle before we can plan a route." Kalle stated.

"You're right." I agreed, "We don't know how Vitus and Zant have messed things up." I looked at him, and got caught in his red eyes. He had finally pulled his scarf off, and I had to admit, he was quite a handsome man. "Kalle, how old are you?"

"I'm twenty-one." He's four years older than me. I decided that it was time to turn in; we had a long journey a head of us. I undid the clip in my hair, and took out the tie that kept my hair up in the ponytail, but not the one keeping the braid.

"Night, Kalle." I whispered, half asleep already.

He rested his hand on my arm, "Good night, Ely."

* * *

**As I proofread this, I'm watching the 2004 version of The Phantom of the Opera, and am bursting with joy because I get my braces off in FIVE WEEKS!!! Two years of being so careful with food has finally paid off! So, I am very happy. So you get your update! Oh, and thanks for the favs and the alerts, they really mean a lot to me! Thanks again.**


	7. Chapter 6

I growled and stabbed a Twilight monster, incredibly mad at it. This had been going on for three days. The morning after I spoke to Calixtus, Kalle and I set out along our prescribed route. It's been three days, we both were filthy, but my clothes were still sparkling clean (how does that work anyway?) and so were Kalle's. My hair had mud and twigs and dirt in it, there was dirt under my nails, I had a cut on my cheek (started right below my outer left eye and ran to my left nostril) that was most likely going to leave a _minute_ scar. It wasn't deep or anything, just old and untreated. My right thigh had a deep gash that I was sure was going to scar, and scar pretty badly. Besides bruises, scratches, bumps, those mentioned above and so other general owies, I was in good shape.

Kalle wasn't doing too hot either, his clothes were torn, revealing gashes and scratches. The wrap he wore on the top of his head was gone, and his hair was covered in guck, and the style needed to be redone. He had a cut down the middle of his chest, and one going through his eyebrow that was sure to scar. Along with that icky torn up forearm he got when a Dreadlock Twilight grabbed him and flung him across the ground, Kalle's arm getting torn open in the process.

And he saved me, my hero!

We were more than halfway there, and heard some screams. I grabbed Kalle and flew to the tip of a hill where I heard the screams. I saw balls of glowing fire surrounded by Dreadlock Twilights. I blinked, and saw the figures. It was the Prince's caravan! I united Nyx and Helios into the bow (dubbed Nylios by Kalle), and a green arrow appeared. I knocked it, pulled it back, and let it fly. It hit between them, and blew up, destroying the beasts but not harming the caravan.

Okay, let's explain the arrows. Different colors have different abilities. Green is explosive, red is fire (I haven't touched that at all), blue is ice/water, and normal arrows are purple. That's all I know of so far, so, there's just a little tutorial!

Kalle and I continued on.

A few hours later, we found a ghost town. It was in the mountain side of western Cateline. "Where are we?"

"We're in front of Demetrius." I answered. "It was abandoned in my Nana's generation, no one knows why."

"Well, look's like we found our camp for the night." Kalle said, walking into the guard tower.

We. Were. Blessed.

Beds!

Running water!

Locks!

First thing I did was take a bath. I stripped out of my clothes, pulled my hair down, and got in the tub. I stayed there and scrubbed until my body was free of dirt and blood and whatever else was on it, and my hair was free of its gunk. The water was a dirty gray when I was clean. I got out, dried off, and got dressed. I walked into the barracks where Kalle and I were planning to sleep, and found three beds pushed together to form one. "I know this looks weird, but hear me out!" Kalle started as I opened my mouth.

"Okay."

"Well, these mattresses are pathetically small, so I figured, if we push three together, then it'd be fine for us, plus, these are the only three surviving bed frames. I hope you don't mind. . ." He finished sheepishly.

I shrugged. "Sacrifices must be made when one is at the mercy of evil. Be lucky this is just a simple one."

"Wise words for one so young." He commented, taking off his scarf and undoing the wraps in his hair. "I'm going to take a bath. I'll take the first watch."

"I'll probably be asleep when you get back," I punctured the sentence with a yawn. "Wake me when you're about to pass out, I'll take the next watch." I quickly cleaned up my wounds and bandaged the ones I could.

I crawled into the bed, found it quite comfortable (and there was more than enough room for Kalle and I to sleep comfortably), and went out like a light.

.~:*:~.

Our routine for the next few days was quite simple, get up, get ready, leave, fight a whole bunch of monsters with a few breaks for meals and when we needed them, and then continuing on. Repeat.

_For over 12 hours. _

By the time we had set up camp in a cave overlooking Castle Royale, I was dead tired, and so sick of Twilight. I take back what I said about liking it and dealing with it if certain components were taken out, I would never ever go back into Twilight unless I had a _good _reason. We plopped our stuff down, and Kalle did some weird movements and stuff. . . "What _are _you doing?"

"I'm putting a protective barrier around us." He answered. "There, now no Twilight creature can get in."

"So we don't have to keep watch?" I asked.

"Nope."

"Aw, c'mon! You couldn't have done this _before_?" I cried, ready to cry.

"I didn't have enough power!" Kalle defended. "Now I do, it just had to build back up!" He stood, and drew the scarf up over the bottom half of his face. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check out what is going on in the town, and try to find a way in." He left the barrier. "Get some rest! We've a big task ahead of us." I fell asleep, curled up in a ball, wings tucked tightly against my back, on the blankets he had packed. "Ely, I've got a plan, but I don't think you'll like it. . ."

"What is it?" I asked, rubbing my eyes and sitting up.

He pulled out my map. "They've got the place heavily guarded; it's a living hell at every entrance."

"So what are we doing? Jumping the fence and fighting our way to the throne room?" I questioned.

"Not unless you're suicidal. They've got regular patrols that won't think twice about killing you." He shook his head. "No. We're going underground."

"The sewers?" I asked, wrinkling my nose. _Sacrifices must be made when one is at the mercy of evil._ _Sacrifices must be made when one is at the mercy of evil. . . _I chanted inside my head. Going through the sewers was disgusting, but-

**Suck it up, girl! You have a kingdom to save! Kalle can't do it on his own!**

_And where have you been the past three days? _

**Always here, just not needed.**

_Thanks. _

"If we got through the sewers, then we have access to almost anywhere in the castle. There is a load of secret of tunnels in that place, did you know?" Kalle said, pulling out a map that demonstrated his plan. "There is a tunnel that'll lead us straight out in front of the throne room, where we want to be."

"Where is the tunnel, _specifically_?" I asked.

"You know how you have that semi-circle that runs up the front of the castle? It's hollow. There's a ladder that will take us straight outside the throne room." The "grand staircase" one, as I put it, started in the foyer of the great castle, and went all over the place to get to throne room, it's crazy. All you do is look for the red carpeted stairs, and keep going up.

And up.

And up.

_And up._

Are you getting the picture yet?

"So the staircase is in the pillar?" I said, murmuring to myself. "That's pretty crazy."

"But it's out best shot." Kalle concluded, rolling up the maps. "I hope you can swim, because we're going to need to travel underwater to get to the sewers."

If I ever got out of this, I'm destroying whatever contraption allowed Zant _into _our world.

.~:*:~.

Kalle quickly killed the last Dreadlock, and we had a clear shot to the sewers. The river used to be a large ravine of sorts, and has steps carved into the walls. Kalle stepped into the water, and I secured Nyx and Helios before diving in. The water was still remarkably clean, and just to tell you, it feels weird to swim when you have wings. After swimming for a bit, we found what we were looking for. It was an elevated gap in the walls, and Kalle easily pulled himself into it. Stupid graceful Sheikah. . . He helped me up a moment later. I took one look at what we were by, and almost revisited breakfast. Good thing there were metal platforms we were walking on, or- I don't even wanna know. Kalle and I snuck along, quiet and ducked down. When the light became scarce, he grabbed my hand and led me on.

We passed through the sewers with relative ease, minus a few Twilight rats, and found ourselves in the castle's dungeons once we cleared it. Kalle walked around for a few minutes, until he found the cell he was looking for. In the corner was a rotting skeleton. "A Sheikah imprisoned for being in the wrong place at the wrong time." He said sadly. I reached forward, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Brother, I need access to the staircase." There was a brief red glowing in the skeleton's eyes, and some of the rock slid down like a door.

"Why does the skeleton stay?" I asked.

"Whenever they tried to remove it, bad things happened." Kalle answered. We walked in, and found a ladder that led to the stairs.

"You go first." I said.

"Ladies first, Ely." Kalle grinned slyly.

"No, I insist." I growled dangerously. Kalle looked fearful and scampered up the ladder first. I followed him, and we set out.

* * *

**I almost forgot to update today! But I did, but this has to quick because I've got some major guitar practicing to do because I've been slacking off and have my lesson tomorrow. Eek!**


	8. Chapter 7

We paused at top, well; I paused while Kalle started to fiddle with the rock that led us to the throne room balcony. It easily slid into its prescribed spot, and he shimmied free, before reaching back to help me. I pulled my jacket down, as it had ridden up on my stomach.

I was trying to stall.

I checked Nyx and Helios, and I spread my wings quietly, to make sure they weren't hurt. "I'll go first if you're scared." Kalle offered in a whisper.

I shook my head, "No, this is what I'm mean to do, and I'll stand strong." I straightened my back, stood tall, and walked with poise to the battle for my homeland.

"So, the one bred of light finally arrives." A dry voice remarked from the throne. "I was wondering when you would get here."

"Well, _excuse me_." I replied cockily. "I had to travel a couple hundred miles to get here, and your stupid monsters _weren't helping move us along_."

"Ely. . ."

I looked at Vitus, who looked surprisingly human. He had orange-yellow hair that fell lazily to his shoulders in a shaggy hairdo. His eyes were red with orange tints, it reminded me of fire (oh no). His skin was a mix of gray and black, with a whole bunch of green Twilight (I assumed) marks marring the surface. Vitus had pointed ears, and when he opened his mouth to speak, I noticed that his teeth were filed to a point, so not what I need to see. "If you got past them, then surely you're a worthy adversary."

"Ely. . ."

"In a minute, Kalle." I answered, not looking back. "But they were _annoying _to no end!" I whined.

Wow. . .

That was pathetic.

"Ely!"

I spun around, "_What? _Can't you see I'm. . . trying to. . . save. . . What happened?" I tried to yell at him for interrupting the verbal battle with the bad guy, only to find him behind a barrier of sorts. I stopped explaining, and, you saw what I said.

"It's just you and me, _Ely_." Vitus mocked, standing from the throne. He withdrew a sword with the same markings from his skin on it. I unfurled my wings, and stretched them for a moment, making sure they would work if needed to. "The fate of Cateline rests on your shoulders, how does that make you feel?" Vitus questioned innocently as he advanced.

The sound of metal against leather sounded as Nyx and Helios were pulled.

The fight was on.

With a cry, Vitus was leaping towards me, sword raised, ready to slice me in half. I rolled out of the way, and slashed at his back. He blocked it with his sword. I cursed, and pressed my back against a pillar when he launched some Twilight attack. "Scared?" He purred, suddenly next to my ear. I gasped, and looked up at him, our eyes locking.

I don't know how long we stood there, or how long it was until Kalle started seething from our position, or when Vitus lifted a hand and rested his fingertips on my cheek. I don't know how long we stood like that; hidden from the world at this altitude, and hidden from Kalle by the pillar (He probably thought Vitus was killing me).

I couldn't look away, his eyes _were _like fire. And I _swear _I saw the colors shifting around as if one were burning inside his eyes. I was afraid of fire, but his eyes, as similar to the element they may be, they fascinated me.

Wait a minute! I'm forgetting everything I've been taught! _Be wary of fire, Elyon, it's very dangerous_. Nana used to say that.

I broke free of the spell or trance I was under, and swung Helios at Vitus. He easily dodged, and sent another Twilight attack at me. Instead of ducking behind the safety of a pillar (we know how that worked out last time. . .), I jumped up, and flapped my wings. With practiced ease, I landed in the rafters, and peered down at Vitus from the shadows. He was glaring at me, trying to figure out some way around this. _Psyche, how do I defeat him?_

**I'm thinking, child. But for now, try not to get- LOOK OUT! **Vitus now had wings, albeit they were the wings of a bat and had Twilight markings on them, but he was flying straight towards me. I dove off the ledge, and milliseconds later, his sword cut through it. He unwedged it, and- flew _over _me? What?

Suddenly, some little black bits of pixie like dust fell all over me. I wiped off what I could, and flew in a charge towards him. I wish I could give you the play-by-play of this bit, because it was really cool, but I can't. Vitus and I were a blur, attacking each other in the air.

It was the ultimate dark vs. light battle.

But, dark was winning. _Big time_. I had blood all over me (but not my clothes, of course), and I felt my energy sapping away from me, little by little. "What's happening?" I muttered, ducking a sword swipe.

"Remember that dust?" Vitus sneered. "It's sucking your energy out, and-"

"Giving it to you?" I asked dryly, he nodded. "Obviously. So cliché."

"Shut up!" He snarled, ramming his sword through my wing. I _screamed_, so loudly, I think Link could've heard it in Hyrule. Kalle let out a cry, and covered his ears. I tumbled from the air, and hit the stone floor, hard. I felt my hair clip crack and fall out of my hair, braid swinging down. I lay there, panting, in an extreme amount of pain. Damn that pixie dust. . .

"Ely! Ely!" Kalle was screaming my name, pushing against the barrier, putting himself in pain to help me. "Ely, please! You have to get up!"

Through the stars dancing across my vision, I saw Vitus cackling evilly in the air. "You lost, Light!"

"Ely, you need to get up! Cateline won't survive without you! _I _won't survive without you! Ely, you're the one person whom I care about!" Kalle's voice started to crack, and I knew he was ready to cry. "Ely, please!" He repeated that phrase like a mantra.

But I wouldn't make it, I couldn't make it.

Above me, Vitus was getting ready to kill me. Plunge his sword into my chest and raise my bloody body in triumph to his King, to their mutated followers.

Everyone, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I've failed my mission.

Failed everyone in Cateline.

_Psyche, I failed. . . _

**No! Ely, you can do this! Get up! You have to kill Vitus! I know you can! **He was crying too.

"Ely!"

**Ely!**

Vitus cackled, and dove towards me, sword poised for death. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the blow that would kill me.

"_ELY!" _

Nothing.

I cracked open an eye, to find Psyche, and balls of green, red, and blue (I'm guessing they're the Goddesses). I didn't feel the pain from my wounds, but I found them there when I looked. "Elyon, one bred of light, we'll give you one shot to kill Vitus. If we give you this, do you think you could do it?" Nayru said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"We'll give you one Light Arrow." Din answered.

"If you hit Vitus anywhere with it, he'll be done for." Farore stated.

"One shot, babe." Psyche said. "Think you could do it?"

Swallowing, I nodded. "Yes." Nylios was formed, and I saw a bright light coming. It was white, but occasionally had yellow pulse through it.

"This is your one shot." Nayru cautioned, handing it to me. "We can give you enough power to get on your knees and shoot, but the rest is up to you."

"Are you ready?" Psyche asked. I nodded,

"Let's kill him."

Time had frozen while I was gone. Vitus was still a good fifty feet above me, but coming fast. I moved quickly, noting that the Goddesses were true to their word. I was on my knees, holding the bow, but hiding the arrow.

Forty feet.

Thirty feet.

Twenty feet.

Fifteen feet. Time to move.

I knocked the arrow and pulled it back as far as I could. By the time I did that, he was at ten feet.

No time to dodge.

I let it go.

It hit Vitus dead on, slicing straight through his left upper chest, right where our heart is. The light was so bright, and I shut my eyes against it. "Ely, you did it!" Kalle cheered.

**You did it, babe! **Psyche cheered.

"It's light out, again!" Kalle whooped. "The sun is out! The sky is blue! Ely, you saved Cateline!" He screamed and cheered and laughed. Oh, how I adore him. . .

**Ely, you killed Vitus and restored peace to the land! **Psyche informed me.

I smiled softly, and collapsed on my back. I laughed, before coughing for a moment. "You lost, Dark."

Then everything went black.

* * *

**Because I'm nice, I've decided to update again! And, it's 12:20 a.m. here, and I don't have anything to do. And if you're lucky, I'll be stupid and forget I updated before I went to bed for Sunday, and update AGAIN tomorrow evening. . . After I deal with my Phantom of the Opera mask and guitar.**


	9. Chapter 8

I squinted against the harsh light, and let my eyes adjust before fully opening them. I found Rennifer sitting at my si- _Rennifer? _"Rennifer?" I gasped.

"Ely!" She cried, "You're awake! Oh, we were so worried! Peri, go get everyone, Ely woke up!" I rubbed my head,

"Ugh, what _happened? _My head hurts really bad. . ."

"It must've been from when you hit the ground and your clip broke." Rennifer answered, placing a handkerchief in my lap. "Do you remember what happened?"

I pulled apart the cloth, and found my clip broken into many pieces. I cried a little because there was no way to repair it. "Ren, what's going on? I heard that Ely was awake- Ely!" Vaughn was hugging me moments later. "I was so worried! When I saw you there, bloody, hurt, knocked out! But, you saved us! Kalle explained everything, with Psyche's help."

_My wing? What happened to my wing?_

**I healed it before they got to you, child.**

_What happened to my wings as a whole?_

**They're tucked under your skin. You can, however, release them whenever you wish now. **

_Really?_

**Really. But try not to let anyone see you if you decide to.**

"Ely?" I looked up to find two amazing blue eyes looking at me.

"Link!" I leapt forward, and hugged him tightly. "I've missed you so!"

"So have I." He answered. "When Axel came and told me what happened, I decided to save Lanayru Province for another day, and come make sure you were okay."

"Axel came and got you?" I asked.

"And Kain got the rest of your family here." He replied, sitting on my bed.

"This is amazing. . ." I stated. "Where am I, anyway?"

"Castle of Cate." Rennifer answered. "You're the Heroine of Twilight, Ely Belly!"

I smiled. "It wasn't as easy as one, two, three." I replied. "I almost lost. . . Vitus almost killed me. . . But. . ." I trailed off.

"But what?" Link pressed.

"The Goddesses intervened. Gave me a light arrow and enough power to kill him. . . If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here right now, and the Twilight would." I was so close, that's what bothered me. I was so close to loosing.

"Ely!" Sasha and Kina ran in, and hugged me for all I was worth. I grunted in pain, and the twins let up. "You're alive!"

"We thought you died!" Kina exclaimed.

"Since we couldn't find you when we woke up!" Sasha added.

"But you're alright!"

"We were so worried!"

"But we knew you would come back!"

"We were rooting for you the whole way!" They finished in unison.

Nana gently pried them off me. "Alright, you two. It's bed time." Really? I moved and looked out the window, to see stars dotting the sky. Well, would you look at that. . .

Rennifer led them out, and, all that was left was Nana and I. She sat on the edge of my bed, twisting the edge of her dress. "Nana, is something wrong?" I asked.

"Ely, I was so worried about you. Especially since Psyche told us everything, the dangers you faced. I don't think you were ready!" _Did she just call me weak? I think she just called me weak!_

"Nana, I survived, didn't I?" I was treading cautiously.

"But by a hair!" She replied. "I think I should be getting you married soon, settle down with a respectable man. . ." I said nothing, too displeased to speak. Nana looked at me, waiting for a response.

_You're not going to get one! _I yelled inside my head. She took that as her cue to leave. _What am I to do? I need to get out of this!_

**You can help Link with his battle. It's against Twilight as well. I'm sure you missed him.**

_You're right, I did miss him._

.~:*:~.

When I woke up, Link was there, the blinds were drawn, and what I guessed to be a Twilight creature (more like a Twilight Imp), floated above my bed. "Ely," he started. "This is Midna. She's been helping me with my quest, and she told me about you."

"Hi, Midna." I said, "You probably know this, but my name's Elyon, but everyone calls me Ely." She nodded,

"Link's told me much about you."

Link! "Oh, yeah! Link! Before I forget. . ." I unclipped his necklace, and handed it to him. "I believe this is yours."

"My Mom's ring!" He exclaimed. "I'd forgotten about- okay, maybe not forgotten, but it's been in the back of my mind, lately." The Hylian took it and clipped it safely around his own neck. "Thanks, Ely."

"A promise to see each other again," I reminded him.

"A promise that has been fulfilled." He grinned. We hugged each other. "Ely, it's so good to see you, even if you aren't in the best shape."

"I've seen you when you weren't in the best shape," I shot back. "So, I suppose we're even."

"I suppose you're right." He replied. "So, tell me about your journey."

"Only if you promise to tell me about yours after." I stated.

"Deal."

And I told him, starting from when I woke up with the wings ("Hah! I told you so!" Midna had exclaimed.), from my first flight ("It's the most amazing experience. If you ever have the chance to try it, you should!"), meeting Kalle ("I adore him! He's like my big brother, or my best friend. He's amazing! I'm so glad he was with me. I couldn't have done it without him."), the way to Castle Royale ("I swear, those monsters are straight from the pits of the Underworld!"), and finally, the battle ("I really thought I was going to die.").

"Well, first things first, when I got pulled into the Twilight, I turned into a wolf. Then, I met Midna over here, who helped get out of my imprisonment and took me to Queen Zelda, who explained a little about what happened." He continued on about getting weapons ("It felt weird sneaking around my home village!"), and getting the Tears of Light in the Faron woods. "Then, when I was in the forest temple to get the first piece of the Fused Shadow, I had help from monkeys, and, I won this cool boomerang!" He pulled out said item, and I marveled over it, before he started to talk about the boss he had to defeat to get the Fused Shadow.

"It had an eyeball, on its _tongue_?" I gasped in disbelief.

"If it even was a tongue," Link shrugged. "But that monkey from before, the one with an obsession with his butt, Ook, helped me out."

"I'm really glad I don't have to deal with that." I answered.

"Then we went to Kakariko, where I found Talo's sword." He said about how he followed the scent, and found the children safe in the hands of the village Shaman, Renado. He talked about collecting the tears ("We burned one place down to get them!"). He talked about the Goron mines, but I was still puzzled how he beat them. Link shook his head with a smile, and told me how he ended up here.

"So, I suppose you need to get back, now that you know I'm okay." I said, sadly.

"Link. . ." Midna started. "Perhaps she would be helpful to us, she's already defeated it once. . ."

Link nodded, and turned to me. "Ely, do you want to come with me?"

"Really?" I gasped. "You'd take me with you?!" Link nodded, and I pounced on the poor guy.

"Oh, Link! I'd love to!" That sounded odd, I'd love to join Link in his fight against evil!

"Great!" He exclaimed.

* * *

**I'm soooooooooo sorry for not updating yesterday!! I was really stressed out, so stressed that I had a dream that I was walking around my school without my pants on, and no one said anything!! I was psycho, man! And, today is Fat Tuesday, so, bon Mardi Gras everyone! I haven't had anything healthy all day really... But, I digress. I shall post two chapters tonight!!!!!!**


	10. Chapter 9

I spread the map out on the ground, and counted the dots, while still in Lanayru's spring. "Fifteen, we're one short. . ."

"Let's just get them all and go from there." Midna said.

"Okay, um, let's break this up." I started. "There's five in Zora's Domain, one in Castle Town-"

"By Telma's bar." I could understand Link in his wolf form when he spoke to me for some weird reason.

"Yeah, one there, four in and around Lake Hylia, one by that canoeing place on the upper Zora's river, and four along the actual river."

"I think that you should get the one in castle town, the upper river, and along the river, since you can fly." Midna stated, and Link gave a short bark in agreement.

"Okay, then you guys will take care of the ones here and in Zora's Domain?" I asked.

"Right." Link confirmed. "We'll meet back in the Spirit's spring when we're done."

"Okay, go team!" I cheered. We stood up, and walked out of the spring. Link spotted a bug and went after it, while I ran behind him, looking for a platform to take off from. He killed the bug, and got the tear, and I jumped off the ledge. A second later, my wings took over, and I flew upwards, in the direction of Castle Town. I landed a few moments later, and took off at a brisk jog in the direction of what my map said. I saw Hyrule castle ahead of me, and knew I was going the right way. I continued on, stopping once or twice to defeat an enemy. I located the insect thing, and killed it.

I climbed onto a roof and took off towards the river. "Hey!" I cried, veering sharply to avoid an arrow from a Twilight creature. I was so going to blow it u- Hey, lookie! It's a bug! I shot it with my own arrow (a normal one, mind you), and continued on.

Though sometimes I stopped and killed a few Twilight creatures, just to make myself feel better.

After about twenty minutes of flying, and who knows how long I took killing those dudes, I arrived at the last scheduled place for me to get the bug. "Where is that thing?" I wondered as I walked around.

**Turn your sight on, Ely, there's a spirit there. **I did as Psyche told, and found a busty lady with an afro freaking out. Then the wood beside her broke and the bug came. I quickly rid us of it, and struck a pose.

"There, you are saved, good citizen!"

**She can't hear you. . . **

Ooh, that practically screamed snotty. _I'm aware of that! Now let me have my fun!_

.~:*:~.

Link appeared a while after I got to the spring, bringing with him the full Vessel of Light and light back to the Province.

Thank you!

The water started glowing and Lanayru (a sea serpent) started swimming around. We only caught bits at a time, before it fully surfaced with a splash and started to speak. "My name is Lanayru. Your efforts have at last restored each of us light spirits in Hyrule. O hero chosen by the gods and one bred of light. . . The dark power that you seek. . . It waits in a temple set in the bed of Lake Hylia." He paused, before speaking again. "But before seeking it, you must now bear witness to something. . . and never forget it."

Well, looks like we're going to be here for a while. I settled down, and waited.

"You must know that it was the will of the goddesses that we lock away the forbidden power. . .When all was chaos, the goddesses descended and gave order and life to the world. They granted power equally to all who dwelt in the light, and then returned to the heavens." We saw a little hill of green amongst all the black. "The lands where the goddesses descended came to be known as the Sacred Realm. For ages, the people lived at ease, content in mind and body. . ." A glowing Triforce floated above the ground. "But soon, word of the Sacred Realm spread through Hyrule, and a great battle ensued. . . Among those living in the light, interlopers who excelled at magic appeared." Three dark Links appeared on the hill. And I felt a dagger being gripped in my hand. I felt possessed, and turned to attack Link.

He got me first, and ran towards the Triforce, also possessed. The fused shadow had appeared behind the hill. "Wielding powerful sorcery, they tried to establish dominion over the Sacred Realm. It was then that the goddesses ordered us three light spirits to intervene. We sealed away the great magic those individuals had mastered." The Fused Shadow retreated away. "You know this magic. . . It is the dark power you seek. . .the Fused Shadow. O hero chosen by the goddesses and One Bred of Light. . . Beware. . .Those who do not know the danger of wielding power will, before long, be ruled by it. Never forget that. . . The dark power that you seek is sleeping within Lakebed Temple in Lake Hylia. . ." The spring stopped glowing, and we walked out.

"Where to now, O hero?" I asked.

"Well, the Zora Queen said that if we helped her son, that she would give us the gift to be able to swim under water. . . And there was that Zora in Telma's Bar. . ." I grabbed his hand, and we took off.

.~:*:~.

"That is a Zora child! That is beyond my expertise!" A doctor with large glasses humphed, storming out of the bar.

A girl followed him in desperation, "Doctor, wait! If something isn't done, this child will. . ." She turned away, dejected, and went back to the Zora on the table.

"Link, I think that's Prince Ralis." I whispered.

"Me too."

"And the girl?" I asked.

"Ilia." He answered.

"Well, this isn't good. A human doctor won't do, huh. . . That old coot reminded me, though. . . I've heard of a shaman in Kakariko Village, in the Eldin lands, who's tended Gorons and Zoras." The woman I presumed as Telma said.

"Is that true? Perhaps if we take him there. . ." Ilia trailed off. _We can save him_.

"Inadvisable! Too dangerous!" A Hylian soldier cried. "But we can't turn a blind eye to a pretty girl in need, either. Yes, we better escort you! Am I right, boys?!" The other soldiers around him cheered and shook their spears.

**Hey, that rhymed!**

"Well, isn't that nice!" Telma started. "To reach Kakariko, we'll have to cross two plains, each infested by dangerous beasts. But we'll be safe now!"

And the soldiers left.

"Catelinian soldiers would never do that!" I whispered to Link. "They were trained to always help those in need, no matter the costs."

"Cowards!" Telma yelled after them. "Don't you _ever_ show you face in here again! Oh my! Looks like we've got a swordsman and a swordswoman left! And not only that, it looks like these brave young people will escort us! So, get ready to go, honey! Pronto!" Telma instructed Ilia. She directed her next words at Link. "You know that girl, don't you? It's a real shame; she can't even remember her own name right now. Bless her heart. . ."

I walked over to the Zora boy, and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. Kneeling down next to him (with no idea if he could hear me or not), I whispered. "Don't worry, young Prince, you're in good hands. You'll be safe soon."

"She found this poor boy collapsed in the road, so she did all she could to save him. More courage in that girl than in all the soldiers in Hyrule, for sure! You lend your strength to her, you hear me?" I stroked the boy's brow gently with a cloth, wiping away the sweat while Ilia packed.

"Please," I murmured. "You need to be strong for your people."

* * *

**Dude, I LOVED Ralis, he's so kick butt! And you have to admit, he had to put with a lot of crap. But, again, he's so cool! Hope you enjoyed my latest chapter, I know it made me feel better, because I have a French test tomorrow and today Writing Club got really creepy and tense. **


	11. Chapter 10

Frowning, I saw King Bublin patrolling the bridge.

Great. . .

"So you say the bridge to east has been destroyed, huh? Well then out only option is to cross the bridge to the west." Telma stated, as we peered through a gap in the rocks in what appeared to be an old amphitheater. "You see what that means? You'll have to deal with that thing!" We all stared at what lay ahead, before going back to our mini-caravan. Telma helped Ilia into the back of her wagon, and she took the reins. Link pulled his left foot out of the stirrup, and I saddled up behind him.

"Th-thank you for this. Um, if you don't mind me asking, what's you name?" Ilia said.

"Link." Link replied. "And this is Ely." I smiled at her.

"Link?!" It seemed like a memory returned. "I'll never forget your kindness, Link and Ely." No go. I sighed inwardly.

"Little lady, I think you'd best save your thanks until we're safe in Kakariko!" Telma called back. Wise advice. "This swordsman of ours had great eyes, honey. They're proud and wild, like a feral beast. We need a beast right now, to keep the true ones at bay. If we make it to Kakariko safely, we'll just thank him then, okay?" I had hidden my own eyes from her, but stared at her when she started talking about the beast in Link. "I've never seen eyes like hers before." Telma stated. "Like the sun decided to be housed in you, or melted gold, or the light of the light spirits. Light is something we'll need on this trip." She winked at Link, and we started off.

"You ready to go, Link? You've got to protect these young ones on the way to Kakariko!"

We set out at an uneasy canter, as the path narrowed considerably. We reached the bridge.

"Okay, it's your turn, honeys! We're counting on you!" Telma cheered.

Yeah, no pressure.

"Ely, he's got shields on both his arms." Link murmured to me. "If you hit him in the chest with and arrow, I think we can beat him."

We started forward, but I encountered a problem. Nylios wouldn't form! I cursed, and summoned an arrow anyway. I threw it with all my might at King Bublin, and he lost control. Link expertly dodged him, and my bow finally clasped. We turned around, and King Bublin was weaving this time. I held my position until I got a close enough straight shot, then I let go.

It hit the mark dead on, and he lost control before falling off. Stupid. . .

Something sparkling flew at my head, and I squealed before ducking. Link chuckled and held up the gate keys. "Nice, honeys! Keep up the good work!" Telma praised, pulling up beside us. We took off again. And archers started shooting fire arrows at us. My grip on Link's waist tightened.

One hit the wagon, I heard Ilia scream. "Do something!" I cried. "Link! Put it out somehow! Just like a candle!"

He hurled the gale boomerang at it, and we sped on. More archers, and while Link took care of them, I unlocked the gate, before resaddling up on Epona. We went through the process once more, put out fire, shoot down bomb bird, kill some archers, open gate.

Then we made it safely.

So now they can thank us!

Renado and Link carried the boy inside, and I stayed outside with Telma. "I saw the way you looked at Link, Ely."

I laughed nervously, "What do you mean? He's a really good friend of mine! I haven't known him that long, but we've gotten really close in the little time we've had together."

Telma shook her head, "No, Ely, what you're feeling is beyond friendship." She leaned on the railing, looking at the stars.

"It seems like he understands me the most." At Telma's confused look, I continued. "I never had any parents. . . Kaye, who's the Grandmother of the ones I call siblings, is the closest thing to a parent I ever had. They had parents, but they were either killed or abandoned by them. We understand one another, and he's so sweet to me. . ."

She nodded. "He strikes me as a sweet boy."

"Have you ever seen that many stars?" I asked, getting off the painful subject. "There were too many lanterns for me to see them back home. . ."

"I haven't, living in Castle Town." Telma answered. "So, how long have you known Link?"

I proceeded to tell Telma everything about Link and I, from the first time we met, until now. "Well, there's one hell of a story."

"Yeah." I snorted, "One hell of a story."

"You should tell him." She stated. "The worst your ever gonna get is no."

"I don't know if I could handle the rejection." I sighed. Telma gave me a 'you won't know unless you try it' shrug, and the Inn door opened.

"Hey, Link? About Ilia? Is it true, what they say about her?" A boy with blonde hair and blue eyes asked.

"Yes, she has lost her memory, Colin, and regaining it will be no simple task. But it will be all right, child. If we just give her some time, I am certain that Ilia will find her heart

again. So, Colin, I'd like to ask you to stay in this village until then. It is our turn to show the courage that you have already displayed." Renado, the town Shaman I met earlier, said. The boy (Colin, instinct told me) went back inside the Inn.

Telma looked at us, "Nice to see there's still hope here. And it's always good to see happy results repay your efforts. . . Those skills of yours. . . Any chance you're of the mind to put them to use for Hyrule? What hope there is in our kingdom is frail and dying. . .but there's still a group trying to do what it can. And I'm a member of that group. Call me Telma. I may just stay here a bit longer. I'm still worried about Ilia, and. . . . Well, never mind about the rest. Link, Ely, I want to see you again at my bar, you hear me? The bar is actually a kind of safe house for my friends. There's a passageway that leads to the castle from in there, as well. If you ever need something, stop by, I'll be waiting for you, honey!" She ran after Renado, and disappeared into the house.

Link moved to go back inside, but- "Link, look!" I gasped, pointing at a Zora woman before us. In short, she was beautiful.

"The ghost of Queen Rutela?" Link asked, following her. He grabbed my hand, "Come on." He explained to me about how when he gathered the tears, the ghost of Queen Rutela appeared, and instructed him to save Prince Ralis, if he did, then he would be rewarded.

"She's beautiful, Link." Man, I'm jealous!

I could've sworn that Link said something along the lines of 'just like you.' But I couldn't be sure. Well, anyways, we followed the woman to the wall of the graveyard. Where there was a rock with the Zora's crest that glowed green for a moment, before turning back to its original gray, glowing green again, before disappearing to reveal a tunnel. Rutela phased through the wall, and we crawled through the tunnel.

Beautiful. That was the only thing I could think of to describe the place we were in. There was a pool of water, and glowing green squares, there was a grave site, and of course, the Rutela ghost. Link swam over, and I stayed there.

Rutela moved the stone, and began to speak. "I am deeply grateful to you for aiding my son in his time of need. You were right to bring him here. Kakariko Village is a sacred place for the Zora people. It is where we take our eternal rest. My husband in life, King Zora, also rests his spirit here. It is no coincidence my son found his salvation in this place. . .That which I have promised you is within this grave. During his lifetime, my husband created garments specifically for the chosen hero, garments that house the abilities of the Zora. Now, at last, I can join the king in slumber. And yet. . . My son. . . He still knows nothing of my death. If you see him again, please pass on this message. . .

Tell him he must not grieve his mother's passing. Tell him she wanted him to be brave and live as the king of our people. And. . . Tell him his mother. . .loves him without end. Tell him. . ."

She faded away to her eternal rest, her spirit finally at ease. Link picked up armor from a gap in the grave, and came back to me. "Well, I guess now we can tackle the lakebed temple." We walked through the graveyard, and out into the village.

"_You _can tackle the lakebed temple now, Link." I corrected. "I don't have any fancy Zora armor. I can't come with you."

He sighed. "Then. . ." He made an upset sound in his throat as he thought.

"I can watch over her, if you want me to, honey." Telma said.

"Link, I'm not a baby! No offense Telma." I said.

"Ely, no! I know you're not a baby!" Link started. "I'd just feel better if you were safe. Please, stay with Telma until I get back."

I pouted. "Okay. But you promise you'll come for me right after you get the last fused shadow, okay?"

He smiled and hugged me. "Of course." Telma smiled at us, and went back to Renado, most likely. Link looked down at me, as he was just a little bit taller.

"Link, you promise you'll come back safely?" I asked.

"Yes, I promise!" He replied. "I'll check the bar first, and if you're not there, then I'll head here."

"Okay." I whispered. He let go of me. "And Link?"

"Yeah?"

I quickly kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck!" Quickly, I ran to the inn, were I would be staying for the night.


	12. Chapter 11

By the next night, Telma and I were back in Castle Town, we were escorted by a Goron. She showed me a small area behind her bar in which she lived, and pointed out a guest room of sorts where I could stay.

Okay, even thought she is flirtatious and dressed like a whore, Telma was very kind to me. I owe her for this. I ended up helping around her bar, gathering dirty glasses, bringing drinks and meals, cleaning up, that sort of thing.

But first, I had to meet the Group.

"Everyone, this is Ely. Ely, this is Shad, Ashei, Auru, and Rusl."

I shook their hands.

Rusl didn't talk much, Ashei was a tomboy, but I could tell that she tried to adhere to common courtesy, Auru reminded me of someone's grandpa, wise and old, and Shad was a bookworm. Too bad Rennifer wasn't marrying the Prince; I think they would make a good couple.

The next night, I was cleaning up a table, when I heard the door push open. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I turned to find that wolf Link (with a _very _ill Midna on his back) had entered and was quickly moving towards me. He jumped up on my shoulders, and whimpered before a Goron grabbed him and threw him out with a cry of: "Beast! Get out!"

I was breathing heavily and clutching the table. What had happened to Midna to make her this sick? Why was Link a wolf again? I thought that since we had banished the Twilight, we were human from now on!

What was going on?

"Ely?" Shad had gripped my shoulders, and was looking straight at my eyes. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Did that wolf hurt you? You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

"I'm fine, I was just a little scared. . ." I replied, uneasy.

"Perhaps you should just relax for a moment, take a break?" He suggested.

"Just let me get this glass." I replied. He nodded, and went back to the back room to help plan. I turned around, glass in hand, to find _Link crawling on the shelves with Midna on his back_.

I dropped the glass, and it shattered against the hard wood.

"Ely!" Telma cried as I knelt down to pick the glass up. "What happened?"

"I-I," I looked for a good excuse. "I saw Louise's shadow, it looked kinda imposing, and I was surprised." I started, "I'm sorry about the glass, Telma."

"It's alright, honey. Things happen." She came over with a brush and pan to get the bits I couldn't.

Shad put a hand on my shoulder. "Ely, I really think you should get to bed, rest up. That trip must've drained you."

I shook my head, "I probably just need some air, I get claustrophobic when I'm a place a little too long."

I opened the door to Telma's bar, and walked outside. I wandered around town for about forty-five minutes, before a great crack sounded in the air. I turned to where it came from, and saw a sickly looking yellow (that made everything black when you looked through it) triangular shape cover Hyrule castle.

**There's something evil in there that needs protection.**

_You think it's Zant?_

**Probably not, I think Zant would seek refuge in his own world, I feel that something even more evil resides in there. **

_We're going to have to beat it, aren't we?_

**No, the soldiers of Hyrule will. . . That's bull, Ely! Of course you have to defeat whatever's in there! Like hell the chickens that call themselves soldiers here will even think off setting foot near there!**

I really want to kill him and his sarcasm right now.

.~:*:~.

"Oh my. . . If it isn't Link! You made it! How've you been, honey?" Telma exclaimed one day.

"Thanks, Telma. I went through hell and back!" Was that Link? I heard Telma, but I didn't believe it. I quickly put a man's drink in front of him and turned around.

Lo and behold, I turn around to see the familiar green clad Twilight hero (and the object of my dreams) standing there, with a new sword strapped to his back. "Oh, my gosh! Link, you're back!" I ran up and hugged him around the neck. He spun me around for a moment before setting me down.

"Yeah, Ely!" He grinned. "It's so great to see you again!"

"I'm so glad you're safe!" I hugged him tightly, "What the hell happened?" I whispered.

"I'll tell you later." He whispered back in my ear.

"Mercy, but you have good timing. I was just talking about you! Hey, everyone! Introduce yourselves! This handsome young man is the infamous Link! You remember what I told you before, honey? These are those friends I mentioned, the ones who are trying to help deal with all the troubles in Hyrule. Actually, there's one more of us, but there's been a disturbing turn of events in the eastern desert, so he's gone to check it out. He's an older man named Auru. If you happen to meet him, definitely take the time to talk with him, OK, honey? Well, you've come all the way here, honey, so why don't you relax a bit. Why don't you be sociable and talk to these folks? They're a jolly bunch!" Telma advised him.

"Yeah, Link. They're actually really nice." I whispered, tugging his gauntlet clad arm. I dragged him to the back room, where Ashei, Rusl, and Shad sat.

Shad spoke first. "Oh, hello there! You must be Link, correct? I'm Shad. Wonderful to meet you. Sorry about the ribbing I gave you the other day, old boy. This town is rather teeming with odd sorts, so I was just being careful. Telma told me all you've been up to. You're rather formidable! I'm rather _not_, I'm afraid. Well, I'm formidable at book reading, but I lack, shall we say, physical skills. That said, if the history and legends of Hyrule are your cup of tea, I'm your fellow! If you're curious, just ask away." Link nodded, and Ashei spoke next.

". . . It's Ashei. Listen, sorry I was so nasty the other day. I thought you were like those sorry excuses for Hyrule soldiers. . .but I thought wrong. I grew up in the mountains with my father, who was a knight in his own right. He taught me the arts of war as though I was his son. Of course, lessons in common courtesy were not part of the regimen, so forgive me if I come off as rude, yeah? Listen, before I blab both of your ears off, I want to tell you something. Snowpeak, the mountain to the north of Hyrule. . . It's unlike any mountain I've ever known. I don't know much yet, but things happen there that happen on no other mountain I know of. . . Evil controls it. . . As soon as I know something more, I'll tell you. Until then, you should stay away, yeah?"

When we looked at Rusl, he said nothing. I wondered why, but I respected his quiet and didn't say anything. "So, are we going to go see Auru?" I asked.

"Yeah, we probably should." Link answered. "I'll help you with your things." I led him back to the room I stayed in, and he shut the door with his, locking it after.

"Okay, Link, what happened with the wolf thing?" I asked, sitting on my bed. Midna appeared, and I gasped. "You're okay! Mind explaining?"

Link took a breath before starting, "Well, after getting the last Fused Shadow, Midna transported us to Lanayru's spring. Zant met us there, and put the spring, from what I could tell, back into Twilight. He put something in me and I turned back into a wolf, he stole the Fused Shadow, insulted us after we insulted him, and while he and Midna battled verbally, I was a useless wolf."

"That must've been hard. . ." I said quietly, squeezing his shoulder to assure him it was okay.

"Afterwards, he got rid off the Twilight, and almost killed Midna. Lanayru told me to get her Princess Zelda."

"So it was a race against time for Midna's life. . ." I stated.

"Yeah," Link replied. "Exactly."

"That's why you were here! The way that goes from the attic to the castle!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, but the Goron kicked me out. . ."

"Sorry."

"Well, we got through, like I think you saw."

"That's why I dropped the glass."

"Well, we got to Princess Zelda in time to save Midna, but in order to do so; Zelda sacrificed her spirit, leaving her body behind."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Then, to get rid of my wolf form, we had to get the Master Sword, the sword of evil's bane." He continued. "In a different part of Faron woods, there is a Sacred Grove, but I had to chase this damn skull kid all over the Sacred Grove woods, before I was permitted entrance to the actual Grove bit. But then these living statues decide to make things even more difficult! They moved places and told me to put them back in their original places. It took me three tries, it was so difficult! I finally solved it, and got the sword, turning me human again. I now have a cool sword, can change into a wolf at any time, can warp from place to place, and have my girl with me!" He grinned cockily and put his arm around me.

"Okay, so, to Auru?" I asked, finishing packing.

"Yes, to Auru!"

* * *

**I realized I haven't updated at all this weekend, and for that I deeply apologize. Tomorrow's update is iffy because I have soccer tryouts, and it's an A day (which is where I get all my homework). So, if that _does _happen, I'll probably post two chapters on tuesday. So, once again, sorry!!!!!!!!**


	13. Chapter 12

We landed by Lake Hylia, and I tucked my wings in under my skin (I was still wearing the same outfit as my time in Twilight), while Link changed back into a human. After a little dispute over the ladders. . .

"_Ladies first, Ely."_

"_So you can look at my butt, no way!"_

"_But I'm wearing a tunic and leggings-!"  
_

"_So?! Besides, what if there's an enemy up there! They'll run me through! I don't have your reflexes, now go!" _

The last bit was accompanied by a shove to the ladder, and Link relinquished. We climbed to the top of the tower where he was, and approached him. "I thought it was about time for you to arrive. . . Master Link, is it? Please forgive my rudeness in the bar the other day. You do know Telma, don't you? I am Auru. I am part of the group that Telma kindly allows to meet at her bar. I have heard all about your deeds from her. Now. . . You being courageous youths. . . You have likely heard of the strange events in the desert and come to investigate, no? Or am I mistaken? You do know, don't you, Master Link, Mistress Ely? The Gerudo Desert once held a prison built to hold the worst criminals this land has ever known. . . The criminals who were sentenced to death were sent directly to the underworld by a cursed mirror that was kept in the prison. . . Now that prison is condemned, and even the road leading to the desert is impassable. This desert at world's end. . . It still holds the cursed mirror and the malice of the doomed inmates. . . These old bones know that the evil currently plaguing Hyrule is related to this wicked place. So I have come to learn the truth. . . Master Link, Mistress Ely, I must ask. . . What will you do now? Don't tell me you plan to enter the desert and confirm my suspicions with your own eyes?!"

Well, yeah. What else are we going to do? "Yes." Link answered.

"Ah, is that so. . . Then let good old Auru help you out. . . You see Lake Hylia below us? A man named Fyer runs an amusement ride of sorts there. Give him this. See, long ago, I saved this man Fyer's life, and now he cannot refuse me if I ask a favor. If you leave the rest up to Fyer, all should go well. Just give my note to Fyer, the man who runs the amusement ride in Lake Hylia."

He handed us a piece of paper, and we went to the ladder. "Ladies first," I teased, going down the side.

"Ely, you're so evil to me." He joked around, putting his arms around my shoulders in a backwards hug.

"Oh shut up!" I laughed, stopping suddenly and he bumped into me.

"Again with the evil!" We laughed and crossed the wobbly bridge to Fyer's place. Link showed him the memo, and he spoke.

"Hrrrm. . . From old Auru, huh. . . Ah well, I guess I oughta do what the old coot says. . . Oasis flight. . .right? So here you go, one of our secret options not available to the general public. . . This time's all paid for. . .so whaddaya say? You wanna go? All right then. . . But remember, next time, you gotta pay! Sweet sailing, buddies of mine. Two for oasis . . .fire in the hole!" We walked into the cannon, and were launched to the desert.

Link landed on his feet, but I landed on my feet before skidding and tripping all over the sand. He cracked up, and I glared at him, close to tears from the sand in my eyes. "It's not funny!" I felt my face heat up, and knew he could tell.

Link knelt down beside me, and brushed some of the sand off of my cheeks. Once I was rid of most sand, we stood up and surveyed our surroundings. Midna appeared out of Link's shadow, and held one arm with her hand, looking ashamed.

"Wait, Link, Ely. Before we go on, there's something I want you to hear. . . Do you remember what the spirit said about the Fused Shadows? What do you think happened to the magic wielders who tried to rule the Sacred Realm? They were banished. They were chased across the sacred lands of Hyrule and driven into another realm by the goddesses. It was another world entirely. . . The antithesis of Hyrule, where the sun shines bright. Its denizens became shadows that could not mingle with the light. Eventually, most came to call it the Twilight Realm, and from it, none could return to the world of light. . . They were forever doomed to live in the twilight, flitting in the half-light of dusk, mere shadows of Hyrule. . .

"This is the history of the Twili as it has been passed down from our ancestors. . . Do you now understand what I am? I'm a descendant of the tribe that was banished to the Twilight Realm! It was a peaceful place. . . until Zant took control of the Twilight Realm and transformed all of the Twili into shadow beasts. It's clear to me now that he somehow gained a great evil power previously unknown to our tribe. . . In any case, I was sent from there, and could no longer get into the Twilight Realm without his power. . . But there's another tale told by my people. Though the goddesses forbade us to return to the world of light, they left one link between the light and the darkness. Something called the Mirror of Twilight was passed to the protectors of Hyrule. . . It's our only path to the Twilight Realm. . . and we must get there! You'll come with me. . .won't you?"

Poor Midna! "I'll come with you, I promise." I declared, sending her a small smile.

"I will too, Midna. You're a great friend, just with a rough exterior." Link replied. All three of us turned back to the desert, and started walking. By the time we stopped for a rest, I had opened my jacket up so that you saw the thin undershirt beneath.

"What is that thing?" I wondered, staring at the giant wall of brick in front of us. But before we could get any closer, those barriers appeared around us. I pulled out my swords, and Link grabbed his own.

Both of us looked up at the portal, watching as the Dreadlocks came down. We quickly defeated them (as we had fallen into a routine), and pulled ourselves up closer to the brick. "It does seem to be man-made. I wonder what it is. Why is it there? It doesn't look like it's been there long, does it?"

"You know," Link started, "That looks like the Bridge of Eldin. By Kakariko, the one that disappeared earlier."

"Should we warp?" Midna asked. "Fix the bridge?"

"Yeah." Link answered.

"I'll be here." I stated, plopping into the sand. Link and Midna disappeared, and I waited around.

**So, now what?**

_We wait, what do you think?_

**But that's boring! **Is Psyche the one whining for once? Blackmail. . .

"Did Link abandon you or something?"

I turned around to find a familiar man in black standing there. "Don't you get hot in that? Black draws the sun."

"Eh, when you wear this as much as I have, it doesn't faze you." Kalle answered. I ran and hugged him.

"I've missed you so much! You have no idea!" I paused, "And no, Link didn't abandon me. He just is away right now, he'll be back soon."

"How have you been?" He questioned, sitting down and letting his legs hang over the edge. I took a seat next to him.

"I've been good. What brings you here?"

He sighed, "Do you know the legends of the Sheikah, Ely?"

"The warriors in secret that served the royal family?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Aren't they dying out? Since the royal family dismissed them. . ." Snippets had been caught; I heard them from two travelers with _red eyes_. Why didn't I draw that conclusion before? Nice, Ely, nice.

"They may be dying out, but there are still many left. Some cling to the old ways and hide in the shadows, but others have integrated themselves into normal Hylian society. However, one clan, the Hyalite, serve in-"

"Cateline." I grinned. I remember seeing them once when I was little, and catching a couple views of them when the Prince was in town, but I looked really hard in the shadows to see them.

"However, there is one little town, with about twenty Sheikah in it."

"That's where you were?" I asked.

Kalle nodded. "Yeah, visiting my brothers and sisters of the shadows." Not related biologically, but of the same race, so tightly knit together. He looked to the sky, and stood. He started to leave, but not before tossing me a necklace. "If you have a run in with a Sheikah, show them that and you'll be fine." With ease, he jumped off the plateau before disappearing in the sand. "See ya later, Ely!"

"Ely, we're back!" Link declared, standing beside me suddenly. "We fixed the Eldin Bridge! It _was _that missing piece."

I grinned at him and stood up, "That's great! I'm sure that'll come in handy later."

Link looked at the necklace I held. "What's that?"

"Oh," think of something, think of something! "I found it, it's pretty, I guess." On a leather thong was a bronze coin, one it the design of a winged shadow. Must be Kalle's clan crest. But it was just a passing thought.

"Let's head out." Link stated, waiting as I put the coin around my neck. We started to walk, and the sun was starting to set.

"We have to hurry up, Link." I urged, "Deserts get freezing at night!" We jogged for the next bit, until Link stopped me.

"Archers." He pointed out the monsters. "I'll take care of them." With a couple well placed arrows, they were down. While Link took care of the archers, I dealt with the infantry.

"How are we going to get through those barriers?" I asked. We looked around until Link spotted a boar thing.

"I'll bet that thing could ram through there." He stated. "Come on." He dragged me along, and I protested.

"Wait, you can't be sure about this!"

"Call it a gut feeling!" He had pulled me into the rough saddle behind him, and I clung to him with all I could.

"Link, if you get us killed, I swear that I will-" My words were cut off by my scream, as the boar started to sprint at the barriers. We were lifted off the saddle, and the boar crashed into a wall moments later. I sat, shaking, still gripping Link tightly, in the saddle. "Are we dead?"

Link gently pried me off him, and helped me down. When he let me go, I stumbled and had to grab onto the wall so that I didn't fall over. My legs felt like jelly. "Ely, are you okay?"

"How can you even stand this?"

He shrugged, "Goats get kinda crazy on slow days." I didn't even want to explore that story further.

He pulled out his map, and checked something. "Let's head out, I have someone I need to meet that'll give you a moment to rest." We made our way up the stone steps. We hung a right and I saw a glowing gold ghost wolf with red eyes, sitting calmly in a crevice. Once Link got close enough, it stood up and growled dangerously. Link grabbed his sword and looked ready to protect us. The wolf jumped at his head, and _disappeared? _

I rubbed my eyes quickly. Did I just see that? I mean, it disappeared into- ooh, look! A Poe! I ran over, turned on my sight, and defeated the specter with a few blows. Then came the disgusting bit. I quickly cut out its soul, and another hand grabbed the soul. "No matter how many times I do that, my head still hurts afterwards."

I rubbed his head, making his cool green cap go askew. "Sorry, Link." We continued through the maze, defeating the enemies as we went along (me hiding from the archers with flaming arrows), until we entered an enclosed area, where the door locked behind us. King Bublin (he is so repulsive. . .) stepped in, and the door behind him shut.

"Stay safe, Ely." He pushed me back, and moved to face KB (King Bublin). There was a battle where Link, didn't even get hit once. He used two techniques, mainly. Once was where he jumped over his head and slammed his sword against KB's skull. And another where he rolled around back and sliced KB. He got flung my way a couple times, and just for spite, I whacked him a couple times with the hilt of my sword.

Enraged, KB rose again, and in spite of his injuries, he lumbered out of the area, and a fire started.

All around me.

All four walls.

A growing inferno.

"Link!_ Link!_" Midna screamed, appearing. "Ely's afraid of fire!"

I wrapped my arms around myself, and stood still. Everything was a blur. My vision was swimming, and I could barely see Link approach me. Somehow, we were at the bottom of a stair case. "Ely, Ely, are you alright?"

I clutched at his tunic, almost unaware of what I was doing. "I'm _terrified_ of fire." I whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"It's okay." He whispered back. "You're safe now. We'll take a moment before we head inside." I pressed my face into his neck, and Link rocked me gently.

I don't know how long we stayed like that.

* * *

**Yay! I put it out today! Man, practice was crazy like you wouldn't believe. But it feels so good to be back in my element. Soccer/Football (for all you non-Americans out there) is _my _sport! I've done my whole life, and any other sport I tried, I didn't like, so I decided that I'd stick to soccer/football. And, little tidbit, once I saw the flyer for the practice start, I grabbed it off the wall and ran to my French class, shoving it in my friend's faces going 'football!' Needless to say, I think they believed I needed a straightjacket.**


	14. Chapter 13

A few hours later, we appeared in a room with a sword and numerous ropes tethering it to the ground. With a frown Link plucked one of the ropes. "What the hell?"

I glanced at the numerous little signs hung from the rope. Something was written on them, and I knelt down to get a better look. "Link, cut the ropes."

He pulled out the master sword, and I backed up quickly. He spun around, and cut quite a few strings. The sword started to move, and _float _around the room. "I can't see it!" Link repeated many times, and the sword continued to float around the room. "Wait a minute," he stated. "_I can't see it! _Midna, wolf form!"

It took a moment, but soon enough Link was moving around in wolf form, and something he did made whatever we were battling visible. He transformed back into a human, and we watched the monster float around the circumference of the room. I got incredibly irritated with this after a moment. I formed Nylios, (I miss Kalle. . .) and shot a purple arrow at it.

With a roar, it circled around to us. Link and I attacked when it was close enough. We repeated this three times, and the beast was defeated. It died with a roar of pain and anguish. (What thing we defeat doesn't?)

Link walked over to the new opening, and got a new toy! "The note says it's a Spinner." He muttered, holding it in his hand.

"You think it can run on those tracks?" I asked.

He grinned, and I spread my wings.

.~:*:~.

Ominous.

That's the only word I could think of to describe where we were. There was a giant sand pit in the middle of the room, and a giant skeleton. "Perhaps it's in the skull." Link suggested. We walked down a path of packed dirt, and stopped maybe five feet from the colossal skeleton.

Zant appeared on top of the skull with his traditional sound effect. "You still live. . . How astonishing. No wonder some call you "hero". But this is truly a bittersweet reunion. . . Truly! For I fear this is the last time I will see you alive!" In his hands appeared this sword (which was really amazing, but it's evil. . . too bad.), and the usurper drove it deep through the skull's bone, and a red glow awakened in the skeleton's eyes.

Uh-oh.

The Twilight King disappeared, and Link grabbed my hand, pulling me up towards that stone circumference.

"I think his spine is his weak point!" I cried, running faster to dodge the fire breath that Stallord spewed forth.

"Well?!" Link yelled back, running with me. "How do we hit it?!"

"Use the Spinner!" I cried.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Link muttered, pulling it out and moving easily over the sand. It crashed into Stallord's spine, and Link came back. "If we hit him enough in the spine, I think that we could take him down."

"That's great, Link." I started. "But shut up and run!" Though we had decreased the monster's height dramatically, its fire breath still reached us. We ran in a circle while Stallord spat fire at us. Once he stopped, Link went for his spine again. But this time, skeleton soldiers popped up and blocked his way. Link tried a couple other times, but eventually came back to me.

"They're blocking the way, I can't get through." He panted.

My wings spread out by themselves, telling me something. I backed up a few yards, and ran, taking off. I grabbed Link under his arms, and yelled. "Hold on!" I paused. "Be prepared to pull out the spinner, because I'm going to drop you right in front of that thing's spine."

He nodded, and my plan sprung into action. He hit the spine straight on, and came back. "One more time."

"Give me a minute, and _then_ we'll kick his butt." I grinned, panting. Stallord's fire no longer reached us, so we could rest easy. We repeated the process once more, and Stallord was dead.

"You're right," Link grinned. "Flying is amazing." I grinned and jumped on him, hugging the hero tightly.

A moment later, we got knocked on our tushes. While we were hugging and celebrating, the floor below us had risen up, and Stallord decided to interrupt us. "We really need to _kill _that thing."

"It keeps moving around. . ." Link started.

"And there are tracks around." I finished. We looked at each other.

"Watch my back?"

"You got it!" **And your butt, your legs, your face, your ears, your hair-**

_Psyche, shut up! _

Link pulled out the spinner, and started around the track, me flying beside him and keeping an eye out. When we found Stallord, he started shooting fire balls at us. We moved from rack to track, until Stallord was right beside us. Link jumped and hit the skull, knocking it down. We quickly landed and attacked him.

The next time around, there were spike spinners. Whenever Link approached one, I shot it with a purple arrow. The process was repeated twice more, and _finally_, Stallord was defeated.

And I'm serious this time.

Link spun in a designated area, and a bridge to an exit extended. We quickly crossed it, and headed outside. There were bars stopping us from jumping to our deaths along the wall, and gaps in the stairs that we jumped over as we moved along. Once we reached the top, I found that one way was blocked. We headed the other direction to come across a coliseum of sorts. There was a giant statue of a woman with a snake wrapping around her, and numerous chains connecting to tall pedestals. Link and I stepped forward, only to have barriers drop around us. We quickly defeated the monsters, and got a new warp point. Link examined the statue and used to the spinner to reach the top. "One of the pedestals is broken!" He called down, pointing it out.

What could have done that?

I shivered, and called up to Link, "Hurry up!" Moments later, the statue began to descend, and I jumped with a scream. A giant black rock wrapped with chains emerged from the ground, along with a platform housing a broken mirror.

The Mirror of Twilight.

I stepped onto it, as did Link, and Midna floated up. Her eyes widened with surprise, before narrowing with rage. She fell to her knees on the ground, and began to mourn is dismemberment.

"A dark entity lurks in the Twilight. . . It houses and evil power. . ." A glowing figure from on top one of the pedestals said. I noticed that there was no figure on the broken one.

"You who are guided by fate. . . You who possess the crest of the Goddesses. . . Hear us." A different one spoke.

"At the command of the Goddesses, we sages have guarded the Mirror of Twilight since ancient times." Another one stated.

"You seek it. . . but the Mirror of Twilight has been fragmented by mighty magic." A different sage informed us.

Now how are we supposed to get there?

"That magic is a dark power that only _he _possesses." One said, spreading his arms wide. He who?

"His name is," the last one started, turning to show his face. "Ganondorf."

"He was the leader of a band of thieves who invaded Hyrule in the hopes of establishing dominion over the Sacred Realm. He was known as a demon thief, an evil-magic wielder renowned for his ruthlessness. . . But he was blind. . . In all of his fury and might, he was blind to any danger, and thus was exposed, subdued, and brought to justice. Yet. . . By some divine prank, he, too, had been blessed with the chosen power of the gods. His abiding hatred and lust for power turned to purest malice. . . Perhaps that evil power has been passed on to Zant. . ." The entire story played out through our heads, like a memory.

That's why the one pedestal is broken.

Ganondorf killed the sage.

He is headed for hell.

"You're just now figuring out where Zant got his power?" Midna asked, sitting in the frame of the mirror, leaning against the only remaining piece. "It's far too late. . ."

"Only the true leader of the Twili can utterly destroy the Mirror of Twilight. . . So Zant could merely break it into pieces. Once broken apart by magic, the Mirror of Twilight became fragments, which even now lie hidden across the land of Hyrule."

"One is in the snowy mountain heights."

"One is in an ancient grove."

"And one is in the heavens."

"You who have been sent by the Goddesses. . . You should be able to gather the three pieces. . . But you must be prepared, for a dangerous power resides in those fragments."

With those words fresh in our heads, we warped to Castle Town to find some inspiration.

* * *

**. . .I hurt, to put it plain and simple. I hurt. I'm gonna be feeling this in French tomorrow. And my chest is officially BRUISED! . . . I hate chest traps. Watch, I'll meet a guy soccer/football player and we'll get into a coversation about traps, and I'll be like 'I _hate _chest traps.' And he'll be all 'Why? They're so easy!' And then I'll say, 'Says the human without boobs!'**

**I know I'm boring you, but, eh, you got your chapter, so you can listen to my rant! Well, it's kinda over now. . . I hope you like it, and please review!**


	15. Chapter 14

We were directed to an area next to Zora's Domain, where we talked to Ashei, who showed us a picture of snow-beast holding a red fish. She said that if we asked around, the image might be helpful. We showed it to a Zora guard, who said that only Prince Ralis could catch the Reekfish (the red fish). So, that's how we ended up in Kakariko, in the Zora's Sanctuary, as I called it. We (Link and I) quickly swam over, and spoke to Ralis. "Is. . . Is your name Link? And yours Elyon? My mother came to me in a dream. . . She showed me your images. She spoke of youths who would save our domain and steer my fate. One named Link, and one named Elyon. I must thank you for all you've done. If there is anything I can ever do for you, please tell me. Please. . ."

He looked so sincere, so _adorable! _. . . Even if he was a fish.

But that's mean. Back to the adorable. "Well," Link started, "We were hoping you could help us with something." He held out Ashei's sketch.

"Hmm. . . The beast-man of the snowy mountain. . .perhaps? But more important is this red fish it is holding. . . It must be a Reekfish. That is a rare specimen found only in the Zora village. It feeds on a valuable type of coral, and without that bait, even our best fishers cannot catch one. Look closely, Link, Elyon. . . My earring is made of this coral. I would like to give it to you. I received it from my mother. . . But it is fine. I no longer need it. As I look at you, I get a sense of what my mother wanted, what I should be doing now. . . I will return to my village. The Reekfish can be found near the Mother-and-Child Rocks in the waterfall basin near my village. The fish are red, so I think you should be able to spot them. . ."

He handed Link the earring, and Link hooked it on his fishing pole. "Thank you, Prince Ralis." He replied.

"You have no idea how much this will help." I added.

"Ready for Snowpeak?" Link asked.

"Elyon, if it's okay, may I speak with you alone for a moment?" Ralis blurted out suddenly.

I looked at Link. "I'm fine."

"I'll go check up one everyone." He answered. Link left, and Ralis sat down, dangling his legs in the water. I crossed my legs and sat down beside him.

"Elyon. . ." He's the only one who can call me that, official declaration. "Thank you."

I tilted my head, confused. "What do you mean?"

"When you spoke, everything clicked. I recognized you. You were the angel that helped me through my sickness. And for that, I thank you." From a small pouch on his canteen, he brought out a small, glimmering; _something_ meant to be an earring.

"Prince Ralis, is this a scale?" He nodded.

I pulled out the one earring on the tip of my pointy ears, and slid the scale in. "It's my baby scale, I think you should have it. It was my dearest possession, so you don't forget me."

I wrapped my arms around him. "Prince Ralis, I could never forget you." His skin felt like water too.

"Elyon, I don't know if I can rule my people." He said quietly after a minute.

"Sure you can," I answered confidently, pulling away to look him in the eyes. "You're a great Zora with a good head on your shoulders and a big heart under your chest. Everything'll be fine, as long as you _try_. Besides, you don't know whether you'll be good or bad, no one can see the future." I smiled brightly at him.

"I suppose you're right."

"So, what will you do?"

He stood up, and so did I. "I'm going back to my home, to take my rightful place in society!"

With tears in my eyes, I quickly kissed his head. "I'm so proud of you." Ralis jumped into the pool, and disappeared through a tunnel that would take him to Lake Hylia.

A single tear fell down my face, and hit the water. _"Thank you. . ." _I watched the ripple that my tear had caused until it disappeared.

After that, I sat down, and watch the small waves lap at my feet.

.~:*:~.

I'm still cold; you think I would've gotten used to the temperature by now. And we've been in this frozen hell for five hours _at least. _Why couldn't that sick Yeti get it right?

. . . I'm sorry, I'm being harsh. She is sick, and therefore has an excuse. She was sitting by the fire, fast asleep, while Link and I sat across the room, sipping some superb soup to warm up. We found a pumpkin (from Ordon!) first, and then some cheese from Ordon. Yeto combined it into a soup, and it was _delicious! _

My outfit had changed a little, when Telma realized we were headed for Snowpeak, she gave me these special leggings that would help keep my legs warm, and special gloves as well. Link's hero tunic worked fine in any weather.

_I hereby dub this part of our adventure, the worst! _I screamed mentally. It's freezing, I've gone through hell and back twice, and I had a couple frost cuts. Stupid ice warriors, I'm glad we kill them. And don't even get me started out how we got here! I was tied to Link in wolf form, and he used his senses to lead us through the blizzard that was brewing, and hitting its peak before we got here. It had calmed down as we progressed through caves, but I suppose we could've been above the storm. The Yeti made us snowboard to his house (which were beautiful ruins), and I fell off a couple times.

So, in short, snow was (currently) my _nemesis_. I glared at every bit we had to deal with.

**You're doing quite a bit of glaring, considering we're on **_**Snowpeak. **_

_You moron, you think I don't know that?_

I sipped more soup, while we rested for a few minutes in a safe zone. A rarity for us.

Yeta woke up, and decided to go get some soup, and be with her husband. That left Link and I alone.

Well, with Midna in his shadow.

Dang. . .

"You ready to head out?" Link asked, finishing his soup. I quickly finished the last of mine and nodded.

"Yes."

* * *

**Uh... I dont really know what to say. So, um, this is awkward. *Rubs neck* I guess, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	16. Chapter 15

"Link, move to your left!" I screamed. He did, and managed to avoid getting crushed by an icicle, _just barely. _He swung the great ball and chain, and smashed another portion of the insane Yeti woman's ice tower.

"They're moving!" I shrieked at him, and the hero started sprint.

Well, as much as he could with the slippery ice beneath his boots.

The icicles started falling, and Link was headed towards me. "Link, don't you dare- Come on!" I started running the opposite direction of the way he was heading.

"She's moving too fast!" Link yelled when he couldn't get a clear shot of the ice tower. Skidding to a halt and hitting the icy wall with my hands, I spread my wings. I turned on my heel, and caught myself with my hands before sprinting towards the struggling hero. "Grab onto me, and help me move." Link muttered. He grabbed my hand, and we began to move.

It reminded me of the game I used to play with the kids in Legacy. It was referred to as Crack the Whip. Familiar with it?

No?

Let me jog your memory.

You get in a line, and hold hands. One person is dubbed the front, and starts running around in the _craziest _shape, trying to break the whip, or crack it, in a sense. Whoever was the last one standing wins.

Simple as that.

Well, while Link and I ran around the icy fortress, dodging icicles, I remembered those times we played it in the Star, running around the polished dance floor. Suddenly, I was very homesick.

But I shook those thoughts aside while I positioned Link so that he would be able to get a clear shot at Blizzeta. We repeated this process once more, and then she was defeated. Yeto stormed in, and pushed Link aside. Very roughly.

**Does this guy even know the meaning of gentle? **Psyche wondered. It doesn't really look like it.

I knelt by Link and made sure he was okay while Yeto was quite gentle with his wife, whispering soft words to her. I felt a pang of jealously for the love they had for each other.

Could that be Link and I one day? Or would that be Link and _Ilia_ one day? Perhaps. . . Or, perhaps, Kalle and I? Who could tell for sure?

Midna collected the Twilight mirror, and Link and I grabbed the heart container that the loving Yetis dropped, allowing us to handle just a little more damage in a battle.

Midna warped us to right outside of Castle Town. Link changed back into a human, and I tucked my wings back under my skin, before we hurried of to Telma's bar. When we got there, I took my leggings off, and was going to give them back to Telma, who told me to keep them. I frowned, not knowing what to do with them, before Link tucked them into his pocket with unlimited space.

"Rusl went to the Faron woods," Shad informed us with his accent. He must have spent much time in Cateline, for he picked up our accent.

Yet, I've lived there all my life and I haven't picked it up.

**Probably because your body was deeply rooted to the Goddesses of Hyrule. . .**

Who knows.

"Here to be exact." Auru answered, pointing in the North Faron woods.

Can't we take a break? I voiced my opinion a moment later, and Link thought for a minute.

"Shall we go check up on the kids so we can tell Rusl how they're doing?"

I jumped up and swung my arms around his neck. "That's perfect!"

"Ely. . . choking. . . the HERO!" I let go of him with a sheepish smile, and a blush in my already rosy cheeks.

"Sorry." I whispered. He rubbed my shoulder.

"It's fine." He paused. "Shall we head off to Kakariko?

"Have fun you two!" Shad chirped.

* * *

**Just for the record, I've made Cateline have a British accent, which is like what Shad said. Sorry this chapter is so short, but I'm tired like you woudn't believe and don't want to post another. Go soccer/football! But my coach is all 'Work to get better!' Which is easy for him to say because he just sits there, telling us what to do and blowing his whistle! But he's a cool guy. **


	17. Chapter 16

I love the hot springs, did I ever mention that? At the current moment, I was in a swimming suit, lounging (behind a boulder) in the soothing hot springs above Kakariko Inn. The town was still in a sorry state, and I supposed it would stay like that until peace was reigning over the land again.

When that will happen, I do not know. "Ely, there's a couple letters. . . for. . . you." Link stopped dead in his tracks when I stood up and he could see what I was wearing. "What are you wearing?"

"From who?" I asked, ignoring his inquiry.

He flipped through them, "One from your Grandmother, one with a very fancy seal on it"-from the palace, no doubt- "And one from a mystery person, I see wings and a colored in blob. I don't know." He handed them me, "Now, what are you wearing?"

"I am _not_ sitting in pubic hot springs naked." I answered, peering closely at the mystery letter. I had seen that symbol before, I just can't remember. . .

"**If you have a run in with a Sheikah, show them that and you'll be fine." **Psyche mocked inside my head.

"Kalle. . ." I breathed, suddenly inhaling the scent that seemed to follow the adult Sheikah everywhere.

"Kalle?" Link asked. "Who's that?"

"An old friend of mine." I answered. "He was with me when I battled Vitus, well, in a way."

Link cocked his head, "I'm afraid I don't follow."

"There was a big, strong, barrier between Vitus and my fight, and him. So, he was there, just not fighting with me. If that makes any sense."

Link shook his head, thoroughly confused. "Not really, but I'll leave you alone now." He walked back down the stairs, through a small window that also functioned as a door to get up here. I saw him go in Barnes' shop before reappearing on the roof, no doubt going to check on Talo. I settled on the top of a small boulder, first pulling out the letter from my family. It was full of cross-outs, and finally whoever wrote settled on a few short sentences.

_Dear Ely,_

_We miss you; it's been hard without you here. Everyone misses you. Take care of yourself, you don't know what to expect. Come home safely, and soon?_

_Love, Everyone_

I didn't know what to think of it. But didn't linger on it too long, instead opening the letter for the castle. I read it through, and decided to spare you the gushing of Rennifer about Vaughn and life as soon-to-be Princess, Queen, and whatever else she would become once she married Vaughn.

The last letter wasn't really a letter, more of a note.

_-Ely,_

_It's been. . . different, to say the least, without being able to travel with you. Perhaps, never mind. I'll be popping in when you least expect me, see you around!_

_-Kalle_

Pervert better not 'pop in' when I'm bathing. Or else there's hell to pay.

But, that sentence he never finished plagued my thoughts. "Perhaps, never mind." I repeated under my breath, multiple times. The thoughts would have to be put aside for another day, because I gathered the letters and went to get some well earned rest.

"**Elyon!" Kina called, patting her thigh. A little Siamese kitten came over. "Elyon! Come along!" That was weird, they pronounced my name like **_**"Ely-on" **_**but this kitten's name was pronounced like **_**"El-lion." **_**Were they trying to replace me?**

**My view was moving, up stairs, through the hall, and into Axel's room. He sat at a table, head buried in his hands. "She'll be turning eighteen in two days. **_**Eighteen.**_**" I thought I heard the smallest sob come from the man I considered brother. "Happy early birthday, sister."**

**I was then whipped across nations, and it seemed across time as well, to find Link sitting against a wall, sipping something from a bottle. He smiled softly, "Axel told me her birthday was in two days, Midna. She's turning eighteen"**

**Midna laughed. "So, what will you do?" She asked, seemingly curious about the customs of our realm.**

"**A present is in order for her." Link murmured. "I'll get one once I get out of this place." He glanced around the place he was in. "**_**If **_**I ever get out of here."**

"**I'm sure we will!" Midna said optimistically. "There's the door you want to go through, let's go get that next shard!"**

**I was whisked back through time, and across the land again, until I was in a small room, with a desk, a flickering lamp, a small dresser, two doors (one leading to a bathroom), and a bed beneath the window. **

**Moonlight shone through the window, illuminating the figure in bed. I saw long blonde hair, and a roll of cloth on the table. Hey, look, it's Kalle!**

**I examined him closer, and noticed that the sheets were wrapped loosely around his waist, and I saw his skin was pulled over taut muscles. For a moment, I wondered what it would be like to have those arms wrap around me, those chiseled abs pressed against my torso. . .**

**In his sleep, Kalle rolled over, and hugged a spare pillow. He moaned something that was muffled by the pillow, and squished it against his chest, mumbling incoherently to me. **

**My gaze fell to the desk, where numerous papers were scattered around. I won't say what was scrawled on those papers in Kalle's (surprisingly) legible handwriting.**

**I'll only say that I was confused by the time I was done.**

"_Where am I?" I marveled at where I was. This realm was, to put it simply, angelic. The grass beneath my bare feet was soft as silk, but looked like it was pure gold. The trees looked flawless, with a smooth brown trunk and golden leaves. The sky up above was the clearest blue with not a cloud in sight, and the sun was hovering over mountains in the west, whether or not it moved, I wasn't sure._

"_Ely! You're here! Oh, you've grown so much!__" A glowing woman hugged me. She had fiery red hair, and eyes to match. I frowned._

"_I'm sorry, I don't know you. . ." I stated. _

"_Ely, we are the three Goddesses. We're brought you here to the Sacred Realm to explain some things.__" A woman with green hair and green eyes stated. Her skin glowed too, just the like the fiery woman. _

"_Ely, we are Din, Farore, and Nayru.__" The last one stated (she had blue eyes and hair that I swear were part of a sapphire). They looked different than when I had last seen them, during my fight with Vitus. They looked normal then, but now. . . "__I believe you have figured out that you're no ordinary child. Haven't you?__"_

_I nodded. "You're going to tell me everything I don't know, aren't you?"_

_A man in a green tunic (a little brighter of a shade than Link's was), walked up beside them. "You're Elyon? My, you've gotten so big! The last time I saw you, you were smaller than my arm!" He smiled and hugged me gently. _

"_Not that I don't like you or anything, but could someone please tell me what's going on?" I asked._

"_You're in the Light Realm." Link informed me. "Through arch over there," he pointed to a stone arch that had a shimmering bit of gas in it. "Leads you to the Sacred Realm, where the Triforce is."_

"_But, I thought Hyrule and Cateline was the land of light!"_

_Nayru shook her head, "__This is the real Light Realm.__" _

_Din gestured around with her great arms, "__And as you being bred of light. . .__"_

"_This is where you came from!__" Farore finished. _

"_What about my parents?" I demanded. Surely I had parents! Everybody had parents! . . . Didn't they?_

"_Ely, I'm sorry to say this, but you never had any parents." Link took my shoulder gently; he had to be 12 years old, at the most. "Your eyes were made from the leaves on the trees, and your hair matched with the bark. Your wing feathers were graciously given to us by the albino phoenix, and your skin matching those of a Hylian, so you would fit in. You were created from nature herself."_

_Ironic, Mother Nature could be considered my real Mother._

_And Nana knew it! She knew the whole time I wasn't related her, didn't she?! "Did Kaye know?" I asked._

"_She did. We trusted her to take care of you until you were ready to fight the Twilight." Link said. _

"_And she did her job well.__" Din said. "__You defeated Vitus and saved Cateline. You did your job.__"_

"_But I barely survived. It was only with your help that I survived enough to save Cateline!" I said pointedly._

"_But you still did it, it didn't matter what happened, just the final solution, and it was exactly what we wanted." Link stated. _

"_I see. . ." I stated. _

"_Unfortunately, that's all we can tell you.__" Nayru said. "__The rest you must find for yourself.__"_

_I took a look around my home, the land where I came from, and caught sight of myself in the crystal clear water. My wings were spread out, and I was in a white dress. It flowed down to my feet, and it had some small little circular sleeves. "So this is what I look like here?" I asked._

_Link nodded, "Yes. But, unfortunately, we must be getting back to our duties, we will see you later. Take care, Ely."_

**Kalle was on his back, arm formerly clutching the pillow splayed out to his side, the other arm resting behind his head. "Ely. . ." He whispered softly. "Ely, no! Don't die!" He started to thrash, tangling the sheets. "No! Vitus, don't kill her! Ely!" He threw the pillow across the room. "Ely, don't die. . ." He paused, as if listening to something. "I love you so much; I'd follow you to the ends of the planet. Don't die on me. . ."**

**Kalle, you're a liar! Liar!**

**

* * *

The Link that Ely meets is the Link BEFORE he goes to sleep for seven years. No, I haven't played Ocarina of Time, I played about five minutes worth before I had to stop. And since the dreams about other people are bold, _yes _Psyche did make those dreams happen, and _yes _that is really what's going on. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	18. Chapter 17

"_Liar!_" I screeched, bolting up from my bed, breathing hard.

"Ely, are you alright?" Ilia asked, from the bed across from me. Renado had kindly pulled up a sheet to separate two beds (Ilia's and mine) from the rest of the inn.

"I'm fine, just one heck of a dream." I answered, rubbing my temples quietly.

She climbed out of her bed, "I'm going to go see Renado."

I smiled at her, "Have fun!"

I rested my head against the wall, trying to gain my bearings. "Ely? Are you decent? I've got big news!" He pulled the curtain aside, "Renado thinks he figured out a way to get Ilia's memory back! Come on, get ready, we're going to Castle Town!"

I looked at him. "Well, if you leave, I could get ready."

He blushed, "Sorry. I'll meet you by the springs. I wanna take Epona this time, she needs a work out."

I smiled, "Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes." He walked out of the makeshift bedroom, and I stretched my arms above my head with a small groan. I heard a couple joints pop, and I climbed out of bed. I got ready, and went to meet Link outside.

Well, Link was quite excited. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, a large grin on his face. "Okay, tell me what's going on, please." I said, still half asleep. I muffled a yawn with my wrist and looked at him, waiting.

He held out a letter.

"This means nothing to me."

"Ely! This letter is from Renado! He thinks he has a way to get Ilia's memory back!" His grin never faded.

I felt a pang of jealousy for Ilia, knowing Link this long, it made me feel. . . sad, I suppose. Link got on Epona, and helped my up behind him. We took off at a brisk trot towards Castle Town, him with joy and hope in his heart, me with numerous emotions moving like a whirlwind inside me.

We moved easily through the fields, until we reached the south entrance to Castle Town. I slipped off the horse, and Link bounded off towards Telma's bar. I almost had to sprint to keep up with him. I arrived in Telma's bar after he did, she was reading the letter. They spoke quietly for a few moments while I caught my breath at the door, she gave Link something and we walked off. "Where are we going now?" I asked.

"The Doctor's office." Link answered as we arrived at the door. "He's the one we want to see." We arrived at the Doctor's Office, and stepped inside to find a man with oversized glasses magnifying his eyes. Link spoke to him for a moment, in hushed tones so I couldn't hear. Idly, I looked around while not absorbing anything, too distracted by a foul odor I couldn't place.

"AIIIGH! L-Look! I can't pay this off right now! I can see Telma's hired you as some sort of heavy to strong-arm me, but she'll have to wait! Look, lad, if I'd been able to sell the wooden statue that young lady had, I would've been able to get the money. . . But see, I accidentally spilled medicine all over that little carving, which made it stink awfully. I put it outside to dry. . .but then. . . Well, it was stolen. Who goes around stealing people's stuff like that? What a world! You always have to be on guard, eh? Uh, look, Mr. Heavy, at any rate, neither the money nor the carving is here, so I can't repay you. Now, to work, to work. . ." The doctor cried once Link showed him a paper. He moved into his office, leaving us alone.

Medicine? I inhaled again. . . That's what the stench was! "Link, I think I smell the medicine." We walked around back, and found a half empty glass of medicine. I peeked out into the hall, and Link transformed into a wolf, following the scent. He moved along the wall, and I ran outside to find him. He jumped from a small awning, and followed the scent. I followed him, through the town, and dodging the scared civilians of Castle Town.

Chickens. I've seen worse. I rolled my eyes and continued to follow Link. Eventually, he led us back to Telma's bar.

Odd. . .

Louise waited there for us. Link and she entered some unspoken conversation, consisting of barks and meows.

Okay, I'm not the only one not understanding here, am I?

That's good. I don't feel so awful now.

Link's jaws clamped gently on my sleeve, and led me down to the southern entrance to Castle Town. Since the sun was setting, less people were on the streets, this wasn't seen by many. He let go of my sleeve, when we got to the bottom of the steps, and waited for the sun to sink beneath the mountains.

Link stayed in his wolf form, and waited.

About a minute later, the ground had a little hole formed in it. I let out a cry when the skeleton of a dog emerged from the ground. It paused, shook off the excess dirt, before advancing on Link. Moments later, a couple more appeared. He fought them all off with ease (of course, using the force field). And about two minutes later, he was standing in front of me with a little wooden statue.

"This is the statue that is supposed to help us get Ilia's memory back, right?" I asked.

Link glanced down at the small piece of wood. "That's what they said. Let's bring it back to her." There was a cleared passage that led to us to the southern Hyrule field. Link found what I called the Horse Plant, and blew the tune Epona responded to. She came galloping over, and we got on. We took an easy trot over to Kakariko, considering we weren't in such a rush at the moment.

We entered the house, to find a large group of people gathered around. There were Gorons, Renado, and Ilia. Link waltzed up to her, and showed her the statue. She looked at it for a moment, before recognition sparked in her eyes. "What. . .is this?! I. . . I remember something. . . I was confined somewhere. . . Yes, and I was saved by whoever was confined with me. . . And when that person set me free, they gave me this statue. . . Yes, yes, I remember that much! But that means. . .that person is still in trouble! Oh, what is _wrong _with me?! I can't remember where that place was!" She looked distraught at her lack of memory.

The elder Goron spoke. "_I remember_! I thought I had seen that before somewhere. . . That belonged to the tribe that protected the Hylian royal family long ago. They worked in secret, so they lived in a lonely, forgotten place. But I heard that tribe dwindled in the prolonged wars. . .If you want to find that hidden village, look for a path leading to the Lanayru province on the far side of the Bridge of Eldin. But. . .a rockslide blocked the way to the village long ago, so you can't get there anymore. What? Oh, I do not mean to worry you, little human. Problems like these are not problems to Gorons. Our patriarch, Darbus, will be waiting for you up ahead. Look at your map to see where. I would try to find the path beyond the Bridge of Eldin that leads to Lanayru Province."

Why does this seem familiar?

I got lost in my thoughts for a moment, sifting through my brain for where it fit.

_He sighed, "Do you know the legends of the Sheikah, Ely?"_

"_The warriors in secret that served the royal family?" I asked. _

"_Yes." _

"_Aren't they dying out? Since the royal family dismissed them. . ." Snippets had been caught, I heard them from two travelers with red eyes._

"I have marked your map. You must go to the path beyond the long stone bridge that leads to Lanayru Province. Find the hidden village! You cannot forget that even now, some innocent is confined there!"

The Sheikah!

"If Ilia's recollection is correct, then we need to find that person in the hidden village. . . Perhaps that person holds the key to unlocking her memory. . . But it is a long shot."

"Please. . . Don't worry about my memory. . . Just do something to help the one who set me free. Please, Link!"

This time it was a race. We were so close! I was flying beside Link now, so Epona could gallop without two people holding her back. I shot monsters as we came across them, allowing Link safely navigate the rock terrain. We got there safely, and found the passage the Goron was talking about.

Our travel was cautious, Link leading the way, both our bodies taut and ready for any enemies. What we found was Darbus beating the rock like there was no tomorrow. With one final, hefty blow, the rock split into hundreds of little pieces and pooled at his feet.

He turned to us. "There is a hidden village up ahead, little humans. The elders call it a forgotten place. This scent that has been burning in my nostrils. . .it is the scent of evil. There is one powerful creature I have seen about. . .but under that beast are many minions who attack and plunder like a pack of hyenas. There are 30. . . No. . . At most, 20 of them ahead. . . They are probably just a small band of survivors. . . Ragged remnants who have settled, leaderless, into this village. If that is all there are, little humans, then you two alone are more than enough for them. But you will have to defeat them _all_ to save that girl's benefactor. Before you go, I will tell you the secret to besting them: destroy them all before they spot you! Got it, little humans?"

"Yes, sir!" I stated, feeling the need to be respectful to him. Link just nodded. We proceeded forward, slowly, adrenalin pumping through our bodies. I bit my lip, and wiped the sweat off my temples.

There was so much tension and apprehension; I think I could cut it with my swords!

We emerged in a sunlit valley, with mountains as a natural barrier. "Stay here," Link bid me, gently pushing me behind one of the support beams for a sign that said 'Old Kakarico.' He pulled the Hawkeye mask on, and began to take down the Moblins that were all over the village. While he shot them with arrows, I snuck in and began to kill them. Soon enough, they were all defeated, and Link was gently glaring at me. "I thought I told you to stay there?" He stated, pointing at the sign.

"But I was bored!" I pouted. "I missed the rush of a good fight!"

He sighed, "What am I going to do with you?"

I shrugged. "I am not sure, but I hope you'll put up with me!"

Link smiled. "You know that you will always be my friend, Ely."

Well, I guess that was good.

We heard a door shut, and a frail voice speak. "The howls of the beasts... They've faded into silence. . . Wait, are you. . . The savior! It's you, the savior! Please, please forgive me. . .for not opening up the door. My name is Impaz. I'm the last resident of this poor village. My name comes from the great one who built this village so long ago. . . This village was once the secret home of a proud tribe who served the royal family. . . But it fell into decline, and became infested with dangerous beasts. It's become an awful place. . . Excuse me for asking, but is your name. . . Link? Ah! I knew it. . . So then, you saved that nice girl? . . . How lovely. When she was here, she would often cheer me up by saying that you would come to help.

"That sweet girl. . . She worried about this old woman even as I helped her to escape from here. . . By royal order, I can't leave this place until a certain person arrives. . . . No matter what terrible fate is visited upon it. . . Oh, but listen to me blather on! I have a favor to ask: would you help me return this to her? I think she always kept it close to her heart, but even so, she didn't hesitate to part with it in order to protect me. . . I believe in my heart that it's kept me safe all this time. . . So please. . . I ask that you return it to that girl." She held out a necklace of sorts. It was in the shape of a horseshoe, with some holes in it, three on each side. It hung on a leather thong with some decorative beads.

"I will take it back to her," Link vowed. "I promise!" The passion and ferocity behind his words hit something in me. Perhaps I was jealous of the way Link felt about Ilia.

Perhaps?

"Ely, are you-"

"Oh, your necklace!" Impaz cried, lifting a withered old hand to point at the coin that Kalle had given me. "May I see it?"

Thoroughly confused, I slipped it off and gave it to her. "Here. . ."

She examined it, looking at it in the light. "This is my grandson's. . ."

I blinked rapidly. "Pardon?"

"My grandson, this is his personal seal. The Flying Shadow, he is called."

"Kalle is your grandson?" I asked.

"He is." She confirmed. "Oh, I am so happy for him!"

"Happy?" Link interjected. "Why would you be happy?"

"You do not know?" The woman gasped. "Accepting a Sheikah man's seal is a promise for marriage!"

And all the color drained from my face.

Marriage?

"Marriage?" Link cried, causing the few birds that had settled to take off in flight.

"M-marriage?" I whispered, voice hoarse and cracking.

**I don't think he was lying when he said he loved you. . . **Psyche intoned.

I was going to kill him! "Ely, let's go back to Kakariko and see what this sparks for Ilia. Please, I need you there for moral support if she doesn't regain her memories." He was panicky, desperate to have his old friend back.

I sighed, and with that breath, blew away my anger. "Let's go back to Kakariko, and see what happens with Ilia." He grabbed my hand and led me away, back to Epona.

I spent the entire ride back thinking, about how I felt.

About Link.

Did he _like _Ilia, or me?

About Kalle.

How did I feel about him?

I did not know. With a sigh, I let my head rest against Link's shield.

Then it hit me.

My birthday was tomorrow, and the sun was fading fast. It would be here soon. I would be eighteen.

If I was back in Cateline, I would be getting married very soon.

**But you're not in Cateline, **Psyche reminded me. **You're in Hyrule; you are no longer under their jurisdiction. **"Ely?"

"Yes?"

"We're here." Link had dismounted from Epona, and gave me a hand to get down with. Once I was firmly on the earth, we headed off to Renado's house, where Ilia waited.

* * *

**Ely turns eighteen tomorrow! Whoo! As always, I hope you liked it! And I don't have much of a rant to do. . . So, I guess that's it!**


	19. Chapter 18

Link's hands were shaking, from fear or anticipation, I know not. He opened the door, and stepped in. "I-Ilia. I'm back." He stepped forward.

I'm back?! _I'm _back! I've gone through hell with you, buddy! What am I now? _Don't you dare answer that, Psyche! _I internally seethed.

Link walked over to Ilia, pulling her charm from his pouch. "Ilia, does this look familiar?" He held it out to her.

Her eyes widened with recognition, and she clutched at her head. Memories seemed to come flooding back to her, and she stared at Link. "I. . . I knew you once. . .Yes. . . This feels so familiar. . . The scent of hay. . . Long ago. . . When we were young, you and I. . .You were always there. . . You were always beside me. . .Link. This gift was meant for you. It was something I wanted to give you before you left on your journey. Please, Link, take it. You don't need to worry about me any longer. Whenever you return. . . I'll be waiting for you. Link. . .

"Do you remember what I was saying about the rod of the heavens? Well, actually. . . It was about the messenger to the heavens who held the rod. . . The nice woman who saved me told me about it. . . Apparently, in this woman's village, they've guarded something for the heavenly messenger for generations, so they await him. But they can't give this item away until the messenger arrives with the rod. . . That's why the lady couldn't leave her village, you see. . . Say, Link. . . Do you have any idea who this messenger to the heavens might be? Or even what the rod is?"

The joy in his eyes was unmistakable; the way he felt was sealed. They bond ran deeper than I could ever imagine. And with that in mind, I left.

When Link first got his bombs, he looked like a child on the day that the Goddesses created the world and everything in it. It was a gift giving holiday, but I digress. When Link first got his bombs, he blew stuff up.

One of the things he blew up was a large rock that led to a cavern behind the spirit spring. I hid there, and Psyche materialized before my eyes. I started to cry. "I wish I knew how deep their bond ran! I wish I knew, so, perhaps, he would care about me like he did her!"

"You cannot have the same bond they do!" Psyche replied. "Your bond with Link is different. You two have fought together, bled together, and won together. It a bond that runs deep, it is the bond of the warrior. He cannot have that bond with Ilia, she was useless, but not you!" He poked my chest, right where my heart is.

"I fought with Kalle, I bled with Kalle, and I won with Kalle too." I realized.

"You're bond runs deeper with Kalle than it does with Link." He stated.

"How so?"

"You may have kissed Link, but a kiss can mean nothing!" He poked me again, harder this time. "You almost _lost _with Kalle! The fact that you're overlooking! He made you stronger! He stood by you! Do you remember him screaming for you to get up? For you not to die? Ely, Kalle _loves _you! You need to know this!"

"How am I supposed to choose between two amazing men?" I screamed. "Psyche, what if I love both?! What am I supposed to do?!" I started crying again.

He shook his head, "It's your call, not mine, O one bred of light." Gradually, he shimmered from sight, and was silent in my head. I screamed.

In anguish.

In anger.

I was angry at Link for making me so confused, angry at Ilia for being Link's friend (or was that jealousy?), angry at Kalle for complicating everything, angry at Psyche for being no help. And. . .

I was angry at myself.

Angry at myself for being confused.

I dropped to my knees, threaded my fingers in my hair, and bent over so my torso ran parallel to the ground. I sobbed so hard, my lungs hurt, and I was struggling to breathe. I screamed again, trying to relieve myself of my pain, and my confusion.

Strong arms wrapped around me, and a soft voice spoke to me. "Ely, stop crying, you're breaking my heart. You're too beautiful to cry."

I sniffed, and looked into the red eyes of Kalle. All the anger I had from earlier that was caused by the marriage thing came flooding back. "Why didn't you tell me that this-" I yanked on the coin "-was a promise to marry!" I hissed.

"Ely," he struggled for a good excuse.

"I meet your Grandmother today!" I started. "Said she was so proud that her grandson was getting married and that- MM!" My eyes fluttered shut as his lips continued to caress mine.

We were both on our knees, his hands clutching my own so that I didn't pull away and harm him. I kissed him back, and his hands gradually released my own, sure I was his for the moment. His hands cupped my cheeks, and mine ran up his chiseled abs that I saw in my dreams.

Kalle began to undo the buttons on my jacket, and I pushed the scarf from his head. His kisses trailer lower, down my jaw and to my neck.

You know what happened next.

* * *

**It's obvious that Ely is having some issues right now, and she ends up sleeping with Kalle. No, she's not trying to make Link jealous, well, right now she's not. Tomorrow, I'm pretty sure, is when the party chapter is. However, that is not her real birthday. And the day the Goddesses made the world and everything in it holiday is their version of Christmas. Bascially, Link looked like a boy on Christmas morning. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	20. Chapter 19

I woke up the next morning in my bed in Kakariko Inn. Ilia peeked her head around the curtain. "Morning, Ely." She greeted. "Happy birthday!"

I smiled. I was eighteen today. "Thanks, Ilia." She smiled and sat on the foot of my bed. "So, what's it like having your memories back?" I asked quietly.

She folded her hands, "It feels like a hole in me was filled. I felt so empty, before."

I smiled at her. "Why don't you get ready and come outside, I have a surprise for you!" She squealed, and pushed the cloth aside before I got ready. I stretched a little, noted my wet hair from last night, and began to get ready for the day.

I went downstairs, and found a nice breakfast set out for me. I ate it with Ilia (who made it for my gift from her), and we chatted quietly. Once it was done, she left to go talk to Renado, and I left to walk around for a little bit. My feet took me back to the cavern, and I walked out to the platform that overlooked the Spirit spring.

I sat down, and just stared out. I thought about what had happened last night, the way that Kalle held me so gently. The way he proved that he loved me. The way it felt so _right _to be curled up in strong arms, his chiseled abs pressed tight against me.

I didn't know who to choose anymore.

I loved them both.

Link was the awkward teenage boy that I was saving Hyrule with.

Kalle was the graceful man that I saved Cateline with.

How was I to pick?

I sat there the entire day, thinking of where I would go with my life.

When the sun started setting, Renado came and found me. "Ely, come back to the village, we have a surprise for you." We walked into the larger part of the cavern, and I saw Ilia there. She covered my eyes and Renado led me to. . . wherever we were going.

We stopped after about a minute, and Ilia uncovered my eyes. "Happy birthday, Ely!" There was a giant crowd in front of me.

I gasped. My friends, my family, my allies, they were all there. I saw Kain, Axel, Hunter, Vaughn, Rennifer, Telma, Auru, Shad, Ashei, Rusl, Talo, Malo, Colin, Beth, Ilia, Luda, Barnes, Renado, and my friends that you haven't met yet; named Mel and Cole. Red hair and yellow eyes similar (but darker) than mine, no way to tell them apart. "Oh, my gosh!" I grinned. "What is this?!"

"It's a surprise party!" Link said, coming up from behind. "You don't honestly think that we, as your friends and family, would let your becoming an adult go uncelebrated?"

Ilia grinned. "It's a cause for celebration."

"So let's party!" Mel and Cole (yes, they're twins), yelled. And for the first time, I saw the group of musicians tucked into a corner. Master Elijah led them to pick up a lively tune, and people started dancing.

I went through different partners every song. Hell, I even danced with Shad!

After a while of dancing, it was time for dinner. There was a long table set out, and I had an elaborate chair at the head of the table. Renado (as village shaman) sat at the other end. Beth and Luda danced over, placing a wreath of flowers on top of my head. "Ilia helped us make it!" They explained.

I smiled, "Thanks you two!"

They grinned, happy that I liked their gift, and scampered off to their seats. I had Link on left, and Kain on my right. It was loud, with everyone talking and chatting, catching up on what was going on. All my friends from Cateline gathered around and demanded that I tell them _everything _about my adventures so far.

I told them almost everything, sans a few _perverted _and _emotional breakdown worthy _details.

Who needed to know about my love life?

It was a roaring din in Kakariko, so loud that some of the Gorons came down from Death Mountain to see what was going on. They looked at us for a moment, before leaving to report back.

The sun was setting, and I saw Kain and Axel disappear into Renado's house. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Dear Ely! Happy birthday to you!" My brothers placed a cake in front of me, with eighteen candles spanning the rim.

"Make a wish, Ely." Link whispered to me.

And I did.

I wished with all my heart.

After we ate cake, bags and packages were placed on the table. "Presents!" Mel said in delight, clapping his hands.

"Open ours first! Open ours first!" Mel and Cole chorused, shoving a rectangular shaped package over to me. I undid the ribbon, and opened the paper. It was a leather bound book. On the front was a picture of the numerous musical notes on the bar winding all over the front. Curious, I opened the front cover.

_Hey Ely!_

_For your birthday, we gathered your favorite songs into one book, and gave it to you! Cole made the cover and put it together, I just got the songs._

_Happy eighteenth birthday, Ely!_

_Love, Mel and Cole._

With their large scrawl, it took up most of the front page. I flipped through it, and saw my favorite songs arranged alphabetically. I smiled at the twin boys. "Thanks, guys. I love it!" I gave them each a one-armed hug.

I reached for the one that Kain and Axel had brought. It was in a tiny box. They had gotten me a new pair of earrings. It was a pair of studs in the shape of a snowflake. "We thought it would look good with your hair." It was white with sparkles on it.

From Ilia, Talo, Malo, Beth, Colin, and Link, I got new sheaths for my two swords. They were embroidered beautifully with intricate curving designs. Nyx and Helios fit perfectly.

Telma and "The Group" gave me this glass prism, with a white design of a firework in the middle of it. I held it up to the firelight, and watched a rainbow dance across the table.

Vaughn, Rennifer, and Hunter finally brought of there present. I heard a whinny, and spun around really fast. Standing before me was my AraAppaloosa horse, Wings. "No way!" I cried, joy evident in my voice. I ran forward to embrace the stallion around his strong neck.

He was only four years old; I got him as a graduation present. I whispered a soft voice against his neck, telling him how much I missed him. I stroked his neck, and found that he had a new saddle. It was made of polished leather, and the blanket was soft against my touch.

"There's one last gift, Ely." I turned to see Master Elijah holding a case out to me. "You're no longer an apprentice; it's time that your flute was upgraded."

No way. . . I opened the case, and found a black flute, with a silver mouthpiece. I shut the case, and wiped tears from my eyes. "Thank you, Master. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"And what's a new flute without a book of songs to play? Hmm?" Vaughn chuckled. He handed me a particularly thick song book. "Have some fun, Ely!"

I smiled brightly, and wiped some more tears away. "Thank you everyone, this has been a great party-" A single firework went off in the sky. Then the whole show started.

"Happy birthday, Ely!" Luda said, Renado squeezed my shoulder, his smile saying the same thing.

The fireworks lit up the sky, and as we gathered around, watching the show Barnes put on. . .

Well, I was at the happiest I had been in a while.


	21. Chapter 20

They left the next morning. "The Group" loaded into the wagon that brought Ralis and Ilia here, with Auru and Rusl in the driver's seat. Rennifer, Vaughn, Kain, Axel, Mel and Cole loaded up on their own horses. Once they were ready, with tearful farewells over with, the two groups took off in their separate directions. "Well," Link started, "I believe we should bring the Dominion Rod to Impaz."

"You're probably right," I agreed. "You ready to go?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Let's head out." Link mounted Epona, and I mounted Wings. We trotted off to the Hidden Village. There were no enemies this time, so we walked with ease to where Impaz was. From his never filling pouch, Link pulled out the Dominion Rod. Her eyes widened.

"Hey! That rod. . .Is that the Dominion Rod? Ahh. . . Could it really be? Are you the messenger to the heavens?! Among the legends of my clan, there is a story from the time when the Oocca still maintained contact with the royal family. Yes, it said that a mysterious rod was handed down from the people of the sky, and it was called the Dominion Rod. . .

"The rod was only to be carried by the messenger to the heavens when the royal family needed to communicate with the Oocca. From generation to generation, my ancestors have guarded the book that, by royal decree, was to be given to the messenger to the heavens. This is that book. Please, take it. This book is written in the ancient language of Sky Writing.

"I am so glad I stayed in this village. . . If I had not met that young girl, what would have become of me? Meeting that girl must have been ordained by the gods, so that I could be here today to pass on this knowledge. . . Yes, I was meant to pass on that ancient book from the heavens to you. . . Please, take care of yourself."

She went back inside the house, and Link and I marveled at the ancient book. "Say, doesn't Shad have an obsession with Sky beings?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"You're right!" Link exclaimed. "Let's go find him! I think Ilia said something about him being in the Sanctuary basement. . ."

We left the village at a brisk pace, hearts light with one of the last puzzles of our grueling journey.

.~:*:~.

I don't want to give you the play by play of getting the rest of the sky book characters, because that took a day in itself, and then fixing the cannon took one entire week. So, we're skipping past the decision of who was taking on the City in the Sky (cough_me_cough), and the way we got there, to a break I took after defeating the mid-boss.

"Midna, forgive if I'm prying, but I'm curious, Midna, did you ever know Zant?" We were sitting in the little alcove where I had found the clawshot, resting before we headed out to take care of the head honcho, the big guy, the boss!

She sighed, "I'll tell you my story with Zant, if you tell me about what happened between you and Vitus."

"If you also tell me about how you know Vitus. Deal?"

"Deal." She sighed. "Well, let's talk about Vitus first. Vitus, was my brother. Vitus, Zant, and I, we were inseparable when we were younger. And at the time, my-Vitus and mine- parents were the Twilight King and Princess."

"Princess?" I asked, confused. "Twilight Princess? Not Twilight Queen?"

"No, not Twilight Queen!" Midna replied shortly.

"Then what do you call the kids of the rulers?" I asked

"The Royal Children." Midna said, very proud of the title.

Well, I could've guessed that.

"Anyways, your parents were the rulers. . ." I prompted.

"Yes, my parents ruled the Twilight Realm. And as children, Zant, Vitus, and I were inseparable. Even though Zant was a servant to the royal family. We grew up, and we made more friends, rather than the three of us alone. Zant and Vitus befriended guys, and I made more friends with girls. Eventually, the three of us began spending less and less time together, until we stopped spending time together at all."

I frowned, I knew that pain. It had happened a couple times with me.

"As time went on, I realized that I didn't know Zant anymore. That he had changed so much, just as I had. And my parents, completely oblivious to all of this, arranged a marriage for us."

"An arranged marriage?" I gasped. "I was almost stuck in one of those, but that's another story."

"One day, we ended up in a huge fight, he had broken my pendant and I was _furious_. He hit me in turn for what I did, our parents found out because Vitus walked in half-way through the fight, and it was called off. This was," she paused, tapping her chin. "About a year and a half ago. A year ago, my Father began to consider who would take his place. Eventually, he passed over Zant and I was the candidate."

"And Zant went insane." I finished.

"You got it." She replied. "Now, tell me about your fight with Vitus!"

"Just, before I start, I'm sorry about the outcome."

"I know you killed him, Ely, and I don't care. He was Zant's accomplice, I know it was willing. While the three of us didn't spend time together anymore, they were best friends. They would do anything for one another. When Zant went insane, I had a feel Vitus would go down with him."

I sighed, and told her my story. "He was pretty handsome for an evil Twilight man."

"So everyone said." Midna replied. "To me, he was my brother, but now, he's not. Now, he's an evil accomplice."

War tears siblings apart.

It pains me to see that.

* * *

**Dude, we only ran a mile today. It's just like, whoa, that was so easy! But first we got a lecture about the word TEAM. It was one hell of a wierd lecture. I won't go into details. I want pizza, some deep dish. Did you know that pizza used to be Pita bread stuffed with meat and vegetables? It was invented in Naples. It's pretty there. I'm watching NCIS. Can you tell that I'm rambling yet? Coz you know- *random person swoops in and makes me stop typing*. Bye!**


	22. Chapter 21

I dodged the flame, stopping in mid-air and flying in the other direction. The dragon continued to blow his fire, and I ducked around his stomach, appearing next to the glowing gem on his back. My hair (the style had been ripped apart by the wind) was sticking to my face and the braid was a wreck. I had a burn across my thigh, and my clothes were soaked through.

I was freezing cold, and almost blind from all the rain.

I was in hell.

I hissed curses at the dragon, calling it a vulgar name every time I struck the sparkling gem.

"That's not very nice!" Midna chided.

"I don't give a damn anymore!" I screamed over the roar of the rain. "I'm soaked, and I'm cold, and my hair is a mess, and I'm so sick off all the shit that I've been through right now!"

Midna restrained the dragon, and I continued to beat out my anger with it. The stupid dragon finally died, flailing and roaring fire.

I landed harshly on my feet. In its wake, it gave me a Heart Container, and the last shard of the Twilight mirror. The sun came out from behind the clouds, but I was still soaked, still a mess. "Midna, can you keep a secret of mine?"

"If you keep the fact that I'm the Twilight Princess secret, than I will."

"Midna, I'm in love with two men." My chest heaved, and I dropped my swords, letting my hair down to dry.

"Why do I feel that there's more?"

"Midna, the night that Ilia got her memories back, I made love to Kalle."

"So it's Kalle, and. . . Link?"

I nodded. "I don't know what to do, Midna."

"It's simple," Midna started. "Think of a list of the good things and bad things of being with each. If that fails, whichever gets to you first, you go with."

"Midna, if I went with that, I'd probably be planning my wedding to Kalle now." I rolled my eyes.

"Follow your heart, Ely, that's the only thing I can say. The heart feels things that the eyes cannot see and the brain cannot understand."

.~:*:~.

I needed to talk to Kalle when we got back, but I didn't know how to find him. So, I ended up in the Mirror Chamber with Link and Midna.

"Some call our realm a world of shadows, but that makes it sound unpleasant. . . The twilight there holds a serene beauty. . . You have seen it yourself as the sun sets on this world. Bathed in that light, all people were pure and gentle. . . But things changed once that foul power pervaded the world. . ."

"It was all our doing. . . We overestimated our abilities as sages and attempted to put an end to Ganondorf's evil magic. . . I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive our carelessness. . . O Twilight Princess." The Sages stated, bowing in apology.

"What? So. . .you knew? As a ruler who fled her people, I'm hardly qualified to forgive you. In our world, we've long believed that the Hero would appear as a divine beast. That's why when I found you; I thought I could use you, Link. And I only cared about returning our world to normal. . . I didn't care what happened to the world of light, not at all. But after witnessing the selfless lengths that Princess Zelda, Ely and you have gone to. . . Your sacrifices. . . I now know, in the bottom of my heart, that I must save this world, too. There is no other way. If we can just defeat Zant, the curse on me will dissolve, and we may be able to revive Zelda. Let's go, Link, Ely! For Zelda! For all of this world!" She looked, for once, like the true ruler that she was at heart.

The sages bowed again, and disappeared from sight.

Link stared at the portal, waiting to take us to a realm that we'd heard about in legends. "Midna, can I talk to Ely alone for a minute?" He asked.

"Go ahead. . ." Midna said. He walked me back, out of the Mirror chamber. We went down the corridor, and down a few steps.

"Link, what is this about?"

"Ely, I- how are we supposed to know if we're going to survive the Twilight?"

I shook my head, "Link, you don't know if you'll survive. That's part of the danger of being a hero. Don't be such a country bumpkin!" I shoved his shoulder playfully.

"Well, I'm not a city slicker like you! I live in a town with ten families! Everybody was nice and nothing horribly bad happened."

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm sorry, Link. But this is the cold, hard truth. _The world isn't nice. _Just because you lived in the middle of nowhere for the better part of your life, doesn't mean you can be ignorant. The Goddesses and Guardians give and take, if it's fair or not, sometimes they don't care. _Remember that_. I suspect that the Twilight will be even worse. Steel yourself, Link." I spun on my heel, and dragged him back to the Mirror Chamber.

"Pep talk?" Midna inquired, gleefully, as we came to a stop beside her on the platform.

I grinned at her, "You know it." We looked over our shoulders at the pale and panicky Link behind us, and laughed.

"Come on, Link!" Midna soothed. "You'll be fine!"

"Yeah." I cooed. "You've got two strong girls to protect you!"

We laughed all the way to the Twilight Realm.

* * *

**I know I didn't update yesterday, and you have every right to be upset with me, but before you DO flip your lid, hear me out. This has been my schedule for the past two days: **

**Thursday: Six a.m.- wake up, 7:30 a.m.- school starts, 2:45 p.m.- I'm dismissed from school, 3:00 p.m.- soccer/football practice starts, 5:00 p.m.- soccer/football practice ends, 5:15 p.m.- go home and do homework, 6:30 p.m.- eat a quick dinner, 7:00 p.m.- go to spring sports meeting, 8:30 p.m.-leave for Nickelback concert (left meeting early), 11:30 p.m.- arrive home from said Nickelback concert, 12:00 p.m.- go to bed.**

**Friday: 7:55 a.m.-wake up (was allowed to miss first block, which was gym, because of my late night), 9:04 a.m.- go out of office and start second block, 2:45 p.m.- I am dismissed, 3:00 p.m.- soccer/football practice, 5:00 p.m.- soccer football practice ends, 5:35 p.m.- finish getting blood drawn for medicine I need, 6:30-ish p.m.- arrive at cousin's house, 12:00 p.m.- finally am ready for bed after taking a shower, brushing my teeth, etc. **

**So, I proofread this chapter at midnight, therefore any mistakes are due to my sleepiness. Here's your chapter, I'm going to bed, I've got sport pictures tomorrow. Night!**


	23. Chapter 22

I ran at the Phantom Zant while he summoned more monsters. I swung Nyx back, before swinging it forward in an arch, slicing vertically up the monster. I took swing after swing at the Usurper Phantom, until he roared and disappeared. The barriers that guarded us disappeared. I seized the glowing ball from the hand, _and ran_. I had a feeling the hand wouldn't like that.

Let me tell you, _it didn't_.

I employed my wings. Of course, Link had to give me the harder bit of the stupid palace. He was getting a good _smack_ when we met up again. The Twilight was a welcome relief to me when I emerged.

I turned; ready to kill that hand if it followed me. It didn't. So it gets to live another day. I sighed and walked to the edge of the platform. My flying abilities had increased greatly since the first time I took off, in Legacy.

It seemed like a hundred years ago.

The soles of my feet teetered off the edge, before I bent my knees and pushed off at an angle, easily clearing the distance between the two platforms. I placed the Sol in a circular imprint on the ground, and waited for Link. The creatures that had morphed back to there normal form crowded around me, seemingly marveling at my appearance.

They ran their fingers along my braid, and looked at my skin. They spoke to one another in soft murmurs, holding my clothes up. **They say you're beautiful, and your coverings-clothes- look very nice. **

_Since when could Psyche communicate with the Twili? _I wondered to myself.

"Pretty. . ." A small one said in broken Hylian. "Girl. . . pretty. . . covering. . . pretty."

I blushed, and awkwardly patted that one's hand.

"Ely, are you ready to- what is going on?"

_**Good Twili, we must borrow the girl, to restore peace to our realm. Please, let her through**_.

Was that Midna's voice? Nonetheless, the group stepped away.

And we were off to face Zant.

.~:*:~.

I gasped, almost falling back down the steps I had _just _come up. "Vitus! What are you doing here?"

"You didn't really think that Zant would let his best friend die?" He smirked.

I groaned and buried my face in Link's shoulder. "Isn't this ironic?" Midna smirked, "Here we are, three old friends, all brought together by the curse you put on Link!"

Zant rose, "You speak of magic? Still your tongue for a moment, whelp, and I will tell you of both magic and the oppression of ages. . . The people of our tribe. . .a tribe that mastered the arts of magic. . .were locked away in this world like insects in a cage. In the shadows we regressed, so much so that we soon knew neither anger nor hatred. . .nor even the faintest bloom of desire. And all of it was the fault of a useless, do-nothing royal family that had resigned itself to this miserable half-existence! I had served and endured in that depraved household for far too long, my impudent princess. And why, you ask? Because I believed I would be the next to rule our people! _That_ is why! But would they acknowledge me as their king? No! And as such, I was denied the magic powers befitting our ruler. It was then, in the thrall of hatred and despair, that I turned my eyes to the heavens. . .and found a god."

Vitus, looking like a cat, climbed to the top of Zant's throne. He smirked, "You ready for a rematch, Light?"

I sneered, "I've gotten stronger since we've last met, Dark."

"Vitus!" Zant commanded. Said Twili's head snapped to look at his master. "I'll take care of the hero and the Twilight Princess. You, watch over the One Bred of Light."

What, no fighting?

Dang.

And everything was a blur. The next clear thing I registered was that I was sitting on the floor, bound with Twilight rope. Vitus was sitting to the side, one leg bent at the knee, and the other straight out. The corresponding arm with the bent leg was propped up against his knee.

Zant was gone.

And so was Link and Midna.

"Where are my friends?" I demanded. "What did you do with them?!" I started spitting curses at him in Catelinian.

He didn't respond for the longest time, and I keep bothering him. "Shut up!" He roared finally. "Zant took your friends to battle! Where exactly, I don't know! Silence, please!" He rubbed his temples, probably annoyed by my continuous shouting.

Whoa, whoa. Did he just say please?

My heart tightened for a moment, and I swallowed. I elected to stay quiet, for reasons I didn't know.

"Light, what's your world like. . . when it's not covered in Twilight?"

I did a double-take and blinked rapidly. "Well, it's a lot different, I'll tell you that." I spent the remainder of the time while Link and Zant battled telling about Cateline when it wasn't covered in Twilight.

About an hour later, Vitus was undoing my bonds, and pushing me away from the throne.

I turned to watch the proceedings, and found a thoroughly spent Zant collapsed on the throne. Midna and Link appeared beside me. "Y-you traitors!" He barked.

Midna shot back; "Traitors, ha! You want to know why none would call you king? It was your eyes, Zant. All saw it, a lust for power burning in your pupils. . . Did you think we'd forget our ancestors lost their king to such greed?"

Wait, what? Didn't the Gerudo. . . never mind. I waved the thought off.

"Midna. . . Foolish Twilight Princess. . . The curse on you cannot be broken. . . It was placed on you by the magic of my god! The power you held as leader of the Twili will never return! Already he has descended and been reborn in this world. . . As long as my master, Ganon, survives, he will resurrect me without cease!"

Midna's hair turned an ugly, dull red color, and it shot forward, impaling Zant on it. He writhed and screamed, dying just as all our other enemies had in the past. His legs and arms flailed, and I watched it with no feeling. He was just a puppet, yes, but that puppet had a power lust on its own.

In reality, I didn't know what to feel.

Midna looked at her hands in either awe or fear, I couldn't differentiate. "I. . . I used just a fraction of the power that's in me now. . . I did _that_ using only a fraction of my ancestor's magic?! Link! Now is the time! We must save Zelda! The evil power Zant was wielding. . . I couldn't take it from him. But at least I still have the magic of my ancestors. . . With it, I can return the cherished power Zelda bestowed upon me. . . Now! Let's go! Princess Zelda is waiting!"

We didn't look away from the image of Vitus, which was fading more and more every passing second. He gave a grim smile, "You always were the better ruler, Midna. I'll see you in the afterlife, sister." He paused to swallow, and I saw the pain on his face. "Good-bye."

_Good-bye. . ._

He disappeared, and a single tear fell to the floor, staining my own heart.

I started crying. It wasn't the just a few tears and sniffles, no, it was full blown sobbing. I fell to my knees, and hugged myself. Midna floated down and rubbed my shoulder. Link dropped to one knee, and stared at me like I was a circus freak. "Ely, why are you crying?"

"He wasn't all bad!" I howled, sobbing harder if possible. "He said 'p-please', and he asked me what our world was like without Twilight! He wasn't all bad! He could've changed if Zant wasn't here, I'm sure of it now! I'm sorry I killed him before! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! _I'm sorry!" _I screeched my apologies to the heavens. "Why'd he have to die?" I whispered.

Link wrapped his arms around me, letting me soak his shoulder with my brine. All three of us were like a family then, leaning on one another for support.

Why'd he have to die?

I felt Midna finally give into sadness, the smallest amount of tears sliding down her face.

_Why'd he have to die?_

**Give me a minute here, I'm tearing up. Vitus and Zant are finally gone for good, so now all that awaits Ely and Link is Ganondorf. And, no, we're not really reaching the end of my story, I think there's about 34 chapters in all, because I continue on after the game's timeline. There might be a sequel but I'm currently working on a project story for English (I have to rewrite Romeo and Juliet) and a story in the Harry Potter-verse. But I do have about. . . six pages of a story started for the sequel, and a plotline working out in my head. It will (probably) be told from the point of view from Ely's child. I won't tell you _who _the father is, or a name, or the child's gender. I'm allowing you to start guessing.**

* * *


	24. Chapter 23

"So Ganondorf was just using Zant to help him return to the world of light. . . I guess now we know the true nature of that barrier over Hyrule Castle. . . He's in Hyrule Castle, I'm sure of it. . . Princess Zelda is in grave danger! We must return to the world of light and hurry to the castle!" We were in the Zora's Domain, watching the ugly barrier around the castle between the dip of the mountains.

**So something **_**very evil **_**does lurk in there, Ely. We were right! Ganondorf is in there! He's the evil of all evil! He was-**

_If you tell me that he was sacrificed by the Sages in the Mirror Chamber, I'll mentally kill you. I already knew that!_

"Midna, before we face Ganondorf, let's go back to Ordon." Link said. "I haven't been there in human form since the Twilight came, and I don't know if the parents know their children are alright."

Midna sighed, and looked with longing at the barrier-ed castle. "Fine," she muttered, "We'll go to Ordon."

Link grinned, and we warped.

I found us by a spring. "This is Ordon Spring." Link informed me excitedly. "Come, to the village!" He grabbed my hand, and we started laughing as we ran through the woods, to Link's home. We passed by his home, which he pointed out, before we slowed down as we entered the village.

It was, nothing like Legacy. But if you didn't know that, then. . . Well, I'll describe it to you.

Cutting through the middle of the Town was a river. On the far side was the Mayor's house, and a path leading to the Ranch, I guessed. Down a small hill from the Mayor's house, was a house with a watermill on its side. There was also a pumpkin patch and a picnic table. On the side we were standing on was a house under a tree, a shop, and another house on the other side of the great tree. If we walked along a wooden bridge over water, and through a cave to the left, along the river that deposited into a pond, we would find a small circle of three more houses.

Next to the shop was two giant pillars of earth, and there were two behind it. Link led me over to the Mayor's house, and knocked before opening the door. "Mayor Bo?" He called to the large man standing in the room.

"Link, m'boy, you're- Who's this?" He chanced a glance at me, before looking back at Link with an eyebrow raised.

"Mayor Bo, this," he presented me. "Is Ely. She's been helping me defeat the troubles in Hyrule."

Bo looked at me, "From Lanayru or Eldin Province?"

I shook my head, "Neither, sir. I was raised in Cateline, Legacy to be exact."

He peered at my ears, "Really now?"

I touched my pointed ears, and grinned sheepishly. "I don't know what happened to my ears."

**Liar! **Psyche sing-songed.

_Bite your tongue! _I snapped back.

"Yeah, Ely's gone through hell and back with me, ever since that wound in Kakariko. . ." He shook his head with a smile.

"Wound_s_." I corrected him.

"Same thing." He waved the detail off.

The door burst open, "Mayor Bo! Mayor Bo! Come quickly, Sera's cat is in a fight with my dog!" Bo rushed out of the house, intent on not loosing either animal.

We stood in an awkward silence for a moment. "So, shall we go see the ranch?" Link asked.

"Let's!" I agreed, we opened the door and walked up the hill. To my left was a large pasture and stable where two horses were.

"We only normally have three horses." Link informed me. "Epona, Cadrian, and Kori. Then here's the goat ranch! Hey, Fado!"

"_Link?!_" The man I guessed as Fado yelled, running his fingers through his hair. "Boy, what are you doing here?!"

"I'm back for a visit." Link said smoothly, leaning against the fence and stroking a goat. "I still have some matters to attend to in Lanayru Province, but I'm almost done. So I'll be back soon, back here in Ordon."

I just looked around, taking all of it in. I had never seen so much nature in a town before. Remember, I grew up in a city.

"Ely!" Link called. I spun on my heel to face him. "Come on, there's one last place that we skipped over."

His house.

We walked through the village, and to his tree house. "It's so nice!" I exclaimed. I jumped up to the top floor, and peered out the little window, on my knees on his bed. "This view is so nice!"

"Ely." He was suddenly behind me. I looked back at him. He moved closer to me, so that his face was inches away from my own. "You're lucky the kids aren't here." He breathed.

"Why?" I whispered.

"Because then I couldn't do this." His lips were against my own a moment later. I fell back against the wall with a thud but he kept kissing me. His hands were pressed firmly against the wall, trapping me between them.

"Link. . ." I sighed, losing my common sense. "We can't. . ."

"Why not?"

"Ganondorf." I whispered. "Link, we have to beat him before this can happen."

He sighed, "Fine. But you're staying with Telma."

"_Again?!" _I cried.

He nodded.

Well, the mood is _out _the window.

* * *

**Sorry about not updating yesterday, everything got caught up. I was at my cousin's game, then I went to a soccer/football game that lasted _two hours_. And now, I'm sick. I have a fever of 102 and almost collapsed during the sprints we had to do for soccer/football practice. I think I have bronchitis. Again. Plus, the world was spinning when I walked home. Now, if you'll exuse me, I have to finish my rewrite of Romeo and Juliet. Au revoir! **


	25. Chapter 24

Since the barrier around the castle had been broken, everyone thought peace reigned again. And they were all celebrating in Telma's bar. So many people were there that she had to call in back up, namely me and this other girl who probably was a prostitute in her spare time. Compared to those two, I felt like a convent woman in my own outfit. I shudder to think of how I would look if I dressed like them.

I set probably a fifth drink in front of one man, and he squeezed my hip. Affronted, I turned and glared at him. He put on a drunken smile and said something so vulgar I won't put it here. "Say that one more time?" I threatened, giving him a look that could kill. Deciding that since half the patrons were passed out drunk, Telma and her helper could take care of everything. I looked at Telma, and said: "I'm gonna go get some rest." I walked back towards where she and I stayed, to find "The Group" packing their war stuff. "Going somewhere?" I asked slyly, eyeing the items.

"Just normal group stuff." Auru replied easily.

"Can I come?"

"No!" Rusl snapped. "For reasons, you are not allowed to come with us. Link just wants to keep you safe, Ely."

I sighed, "I understand. I'm gonna go rest." The door shut behind me and I walked into the room I stayed in. I paced, constantly looking out the window at the castle. I opened the door a crack and peeked into the bar.

No escape there.

With a sigh, I shut the door and leaned against it, in despair. My eyes found the window, and I grinned. "Perfect." The window creaked slightly when I opened it; I winced, looking back to make sure no one had heard me.

**Why would they?** Psyche reasoned. **That bar is a **_**din!**_

"Yeah," I whispered, "It's so loud in there, I could scream and they probably wouldn't hear me." I opened the window fully and slipped out onto the street. It was empty. _Probably because they're all celebrating the faux peace. _I thought, shutting the window with my heel. I walked out to an area where horses were kept and got Wings. I tacked him up, and set off at a trot around the field.

For some reason, all the monsters were gone from the fields.

I ended up flying to the top of a mountain by the Zora's Domain to visit Ralis when I heard the worst sound I could ever hear.

An explosion.

I turned sharply around, and saw the throne room on fire. "Ralis!" I screamed, turning back to the great waterfall. _"Ralis!" _I took off in flight, not landing until I was right in front of the throne. "King Ralis, the throne room is on fire!"

Ralis gasped and started giving commands quickly. The room was empty besides the two of us thirty seconds later. "I'm going too!" He said fiercely, and dove into the water to follow his subjects.

_Link. . . _

"Ohmigodesses!" I screeched, turning and flying back towards the fire. As soon as I got in the North Hyrule field vicinity, the smoke hit full force, and I was forced to land. I found my horse, coughing up a lung, and held onto the stirrup for support.

Wings whinnied, nudging me, as if to say 'You can do it! Let's go!'

"You're right." I muttered. "I have to help them, I don't care what happens after, I can't stand around like this!" With a grunt, I swung myself into the saddle and wheeled my stallion around. "Let's go, Wings! _Yah!_" Wings shot off, and we were flying.

That's one of the reasons I named him Wings, his gallop was so smooth, like his hooves never even touched the ground.

Just like he had wings.

All the monsters were gone from West Hyrule Field, and I galloped straight through the gates. Citizens that crowded around shrunk to the sides of the road, and drunks were yanked to the side, in fear of being trampled.

Good thing.

Wings' hoof beats matched my heartbeat as we thundered through the city center. I crossed close to the castle, and Wings skidded to a halt. We were met with spear points held by shaking guards. "I'm not going to harm you." I stated, before jumping into the air and letting my angel wings free. I flew up to the throne room. Which wasn't on fire anymore, thanks to the Zora and their water dance.

What I found surprised me to say the least. There was a small, bloody imp on the floor. Wait a minute. . . "Midna?" I breathed.

"Ely?" She croaked. "Ely, Ganondorf, Link, Zelda, Eldin Field. . ." She coughed.

I pulled her into my arms so her back was slightly elevated. "Shh, shh. . ." I soothed. "They can handle him together."

Psyche appeared beside me, "Ely, go aid Link and Zelda, I'll heal Midna, we'll meet you in the field when all is well." I looked around the throne room. Nothing bad, nothing that would be life-threatening. I nodded.

"When all is well." I repeated.

"Yes! Now go!" Psyche snapped. I turned and ran out the throne room. I ran off the edge and lightened my landing using my wings, my left foot in its corresponding stirrup. I swung back into the saddle and turned my horse, before galloping off the Eldin Field. I heard cries of 'Get out of the way!' as Wings and I flew through the Thoroughfare and the East Road. The Guard heard what was coming before he saw us, and by the time I arrived, the gate was wide open.

We sprinted across the bridge and I saw Zoras in the river.

What I wasn't prepared for, however, was the sight that was all over the field. I saw Ganondorf on his demon horse, and a glowing ball levitating an inch above his palm, he threw it back and from it spawned demon phantom knights. Link got knocked off of Epona. I swore, and replayed the knights over in my head.

I knew what to do.

"Let's go, Wings!" I whispered fiercely. He knew exactly what to do, and was galloping to catch up with Epona. I formed Nylios (with a pang concerning Kalle), and squeezed my legs tight against the exquisite saddle. Ganondorf began to form the ball again, and I summoned and ice arrow. I aimed at it, and let the arrow go. It froze and Ganondorf looked up, slowing his horse for a moment.

Zelda took her chance and shot him with a Light Arrow. Link and I took this chance to attack him. I twirled the bow and hit him with both pointy ends. Ganondorf urged the horse into a gallop, and we began to fall behind.

I listened to Wings for a moment, judging if he was tired or not. Neither he nor Epona were tired. I smiled, and we jumped a fence to keep up with Ganondorf. The ball was being formed, and I summoned another ice arrow. When the ball was large enough, I let it go at the same time that Zelda let go of her Light Arrow. We galloped up and hit him with our swords, and he gasped, letting his body go limp and the horse lumbered onward, until they fell on their sides.

He stood up, and we all dismounted from the horses. Link drew the Master Sword and advanced towards Ganondorf.

"How many battles have you gone through?" I asked Zelda, as I grabbed Epona's reins, steadying the skittish horse. "Shh, it's okay, girl. Everything is gonna be okay. . . Shh. . ." Though animals can't understand your words, they register your _tone. _So, remember that, if you ever have to calm a panicked animal, don't panic yourself, they can sense how you feel.

"This will be the, third or fourth, I think." Zelda whispered, eyes intently focused on the two.

"This is the fourth!" They (Ganondorf and Link) yelled back at us together.

With a simple raise of his hand, there was a barrier between him and Link, and Zelda, the horses and I. Now I know how Kalle felt.

How useless one felt.

How useless one felt when the realization when hits that _you can't help. _

There's a barrier.

_You can't control the outcome_.

It keeps you out, and them in.

_You can control nothing in the battle_.

They can't rely on you.

_He's own his own._

**Ely, let him spread his wings and fly. He's not that little Ordon boy, anymore. He's a hero and you know it! You can't baby him!**

_I'm not babying him! _I defended. _I just want to be able to settle in his arms. Psyche, I love him-_

**And you can't bear to lose him. He's not a baby! He can handle this! **

_So, Midna is okay?_

**Midna is fine. Still your worries, child. **

"An impressive-looking blade. . . But nothing more. Would you hear my desire? To take this foul blade. . .and use it to blot out the light forever!" Ganon smirked, and the battle begun. Their blades clashed and sparks began to fly between the steel. My nails dug into my palm, leaving half-moon marks in their wake.

Please, Link, don't you dare die on me!

Once you kill Ganondorf, we can finally be together. Please, Link. . .

Ganondorf fell to the ground, and Link delivered the finishing blow, stabbing Ganondorf through the chest. His mouth opened in the wide O of a scream. Link withdrew, and the villain staggered to his feet. "Do not think this ends here. . ." He yelled. "The history of light and shadow will be written in blood!"

Twilight had begun to fall, and Ganondorf's death was unavoidable. All we waited for was for him to draw his last breath. He did, after staring at the sky for a few moments.

It was official.

In the hour of Twilight, Ganondorf was defeated.

The barriers dropped, and I ran forward to embrace him. He grinned slyly at me. "Ganondorf's dead. . ."

My grin matched his own, and we shared a short kiss. He looked at me for a moment, before his eyes widened at something behind me. His hands grabbed mine, and we sprinted up the hill. Standing before us was a beautiful Twili woman. "What? Say something! Am I so beautiful that you've no words left?"

"Midna?" I gasped.

She smiled and spread her arms wide. "This is the real me, the one before the imp."

"Midna!" Link gasped. "You're beautiful!"

She smiled, "Thanks, Link."

"They were celebrating long before you beat Ganondorf." I informed Link and Zelda, who had come up to us. "How about we go give them something to celebrate about?"

Zelda smiled, and straightened her back, even more than it was normally. Conscious of my own horrid posture, I straightened my own back. "That seems nice. I will also have to make restoration plans."

"I'll see if I can pull in some favors from Cateline." I said slowly, "After all, one of my best friends is getting married to the Prince!"

"Really?" Link asked.

"Remember Rennifer?"

"She's marrying the Prince? Her outfit was so, no offense, but it was pretty plain compared to the others."

We started to leave the field.

* * *

**I'm sick. So I got to stay home from school today! Yay! I'm supposed to get out of class in 18 minutes (2:45) but then I'd have soccer, so I'm on my bed. It's a bad day to be sick, though, it's so fricking NICE outside where I am!**


	26. Chapter 25

We walked through the East Gate, to find a giant crowd waiting for us. "Tell them what happened, Zelda, Link!" Midna hissed, from Link's shadow.

"Well, who?"

"I don't care, pick one!"

Zelda stepped forward, after clearing her throat to quiet the crowd, she folded her hands and put her public speaking skills to use. "My good Hylians, some of you may not have been aware, but as of a few minutes ago, Hyrule and Cateline just won a war that has been waging for almost a year. It was against an Usurper King that plunged our land into darkness. His name was Zant, and he hailed from a land called the Twilight Realm. Our land, and the neighboring one to the North, Cateline, was plunged into Twilight until our two heroes, Link and Elyon, banished it.

"Unfortunately, when confronting Zant, they found that he was puppet to _much _greater evil. His name was Ganondorf. 100 years ago, he was banished from Hyrule, two the Twilight Realm, and used Zant as a puppet to get what he wanted. We have just returned from a battle, a battle that won our freedom!"

There was much cheering at this.

"But this took effort, and this took teamwork. I want to show you the Heroes of Twilight!" Her hand flung out to Link and I. While he was searching the crowd for someone, I raised a hand and waved at the people there.

They 'aww'ed at something, and I looked down to find mine and Link's hands still connected. I blushed, but didn't let go. "There is one more person; we couldn't have done it without her."

What was Zelda playing at?

"Zelda, what are doing?" Link hissed.

"Unfortunately, due to certain circumstances, the third hero could not be here with us right now, but she is still in her hearts, and we will never forget her.

"Please, everyone, the _Heroes of Twilight!_"

And the cheers wouldn't stop.

.~:*:~.

The next morning, while sitting atop the gate, watching the masons and welders work, I saw the royal standard hoisted high.

_Cateline's _royal standard.

Heading a group of soldiers was the royal family. Rennifer included. I ran out to meet them. "The restorations back home are basically done, so I think that Hyrule would like some aid."

I swept a bow, and said "We have suffered much."

The Queen frowned, I was well known to them by now, no doubt. I saved their homeland from Twilight, my best friend was marrying the Prince, and I was already a city leader's family member.

To them, I was a full-blood Catelinian.

But after all of this, I wasn't sure anymore.

"Shall we go see Queen Zelda, Your Majesties?" I asked, trying to ease the tension in the air. "She's the one who's running the restoration; some of the Hylian troops have been stretched thin because they had to go to Kakariko over in Eldin Province."

"Stay here." The King instructed his men, before beckoning his family (and Ren) to follow him, and by extension, me. I led them through Castle Town to the base of the restoration. Where else?

Telma's bar.

The bar part was temporarily suspended to make it safe and proper for our Queen-their Queen. My Queen too. . .

Queen Zelda, okay?

I still have to work this out.

I swept another bow to the leader of Hyrule. "Milady, the royal family of Cateline with regimens of soldiers have arrived to assist u- the Hylians with the restoration."

Zelda looked up at me from a chart she had been studying. "Thank you, Lady Heroine. Re Neo, Regina Kyrie, Principe Vaughn, Lady Rennifer." She rose with a grace I envied, and took all of their hands. "I thank you very much for the help. The most we are working on is the Castle, as the monsters that inhabited it have largely destroyed it."

"Shall we take you to the troops, so you can start handing out jobs?" Re Neo offered. Zelda nodded, and grabbed some blueprints and parchment, shoved them in a messenger bag, and put it on her shoulder.

I really admired her.

Smiling, I walked away, leaving them to their work. No matter how many times we offered to help restore the world, Link and I were always shoved off, told to go back and rest, that we had done enough already. I walked back to the Inn, where Zelda, Link, Midna and I were staying for the time being.

I walked in, and sat down in the bay window that they had in the downstairs/lounge area. I should probably tell you what's been going on since the battle, since about three weeks have passed.

The Gorons have continued their efforts to control their mines, began to regain their culture, and were helping clear the path to the Gerudo Desert.

The children were finally headed back to Ordon, with Colin following in Link's footsteps and acting as a guard. He had a wooden sword and shield made just for him.

Ralis was becoming accustomed to his place on the throne, and the Zora's prospered. He recently confided in me (when I went back for an actual _visit _and not an _alarm call_) that he had a vision of his Mother, telling him that she was proud of him and he was doing well.

I touched my earring at the thought and smiled. I was so proud of him.

Iza, Hena, and Coro recently had a reunion at Hena's fishing hole, having a fishing contest. I watched from the shadows, envious of something they had that I didn't.

A true family.

The Yetis continue to live peacefully up on Snowpeak, no longer a bother to the Zoras when they fished. Link often goes up and has snowboarding races with them.

Shad, Ashei, and Auru traveled to the Sacred Grove, in awe as they took it all in. Yes, they too had to deal with the Skull Kid. I had stitches from laughing so much when they informed me of what happened.

Colin's Mother, Uli, had a little baby girl. Colin would make a wonderful big brother. That is one blessed little girl, she won't know the time of unrest and fear. There was a large reunion in Ordon as families previously torn across provinces were brought back together.

Everything was shaping up.

But, I still had some unattended matters to fix. My heart was heavy, and I dreaded the journey I needed to take. Link suddenly opened the door, and found me. "Ely, she needs to go back. The path is finally clear to the desert; Zelda is leaving the restoration in the hands of the General while we're gone. She won't survive much longer if we stay here."

* * *

**Guess what? I'm sick again! I go to soccer/football practice, and it's cold out, and I'm standing there with nothing to do and freezing my booty off. I come back, and mom's like 'How are you feeling?' And I said bad, and it turns out that my fever spiked up again. So, here's your chapter! **


	27. Chapter 26

I watched the portal as it swirled in white against the black stone, staring at the contrast between the two. Light and Dark.

Day and Night.

Good and Evil.

Midna looked at me, and then glanced at Link, giving me the sly smile I would miss terribly. "Midna, thanks."

She bit her lip. "No, Ely. Thank _you_. You are the friend I needed, the one I could trust wholly."

My vision blurred, and I wiped my tears away. "Midna, I'm going to miss you dreadfully."

She blinked as well, and we hugged. "Me too." She stepped back. "Well. . .I guess this is farewell, huh? Light and shadow can't mix, as we all know. But. . . Never forget that there's another world bound to this one."

Zelda spoke, "Shadow and light are two sides of the same coin. . . One cannot exist without the other. I know now the reason the goddesses left the Mirror of Twilight in this world. . .They left it because it was their design that we should meet. Yes. . . That is what I believe."

Midna smiled. "Zelda. . . Your words are kind, and your heart is true. If all in Hyrule are like you. . . Then maybe you'll do all right." A wind ruffled us, and Midna moved to the platform. "Thank you. . . Well, the princess spoke truly: as long as that mirror's around, we could meet again. . . Link. . ." She shed a tear, and pushed it to the mirror. "I. . ." _Love you._ She looked at me. "See you later. . ."

The Mirror cracked, and we all gasped.

Midna, no!

I started crying when light enveloped her, and she disappeared into her own realm.

The mirror shattered into thousands of little pieces.

And Midna was gone.

Forever.

"No, please." I fell to my knees, crying. Bringing a hand to my mouth, I choked. "She didn't do that, please, no. . ."

The glass crunched as Link knelt down and hugged me.

This is a dream; it had to be a dream. It just _had _to be.

But you all know, it's not.

* * *

**We lost our first soccer game! Yay! (I'm kidding, but we're not really beating ourselves up about it.) We made some pretty great saves, but my knees are all beaten up from playing keeper. I'm tired. Though this chapter is short, it's important.**


	28. Chapter 27

"You can't leave me!" Link snapped. "I just lost Midna, I can't loose you too!"

I sighed, why didn't Link understand this? "Link, listen to me for a moment. I _need _to go back to Cateline for a little bit. I have to mend ties with my family-"

"But, Axel and Kain came to your eighteenth birthday." Link pointed out to me.

"You're forgetting about Kina, and Sasha, and Nana." I replied.

"Okay, you're right." He relented, "But still-!"

"No buts, Link!" I cried. "I need to see if I can make amends with my family, and I've realized something."

"What?" Zelda asked.

"I've realized that no matter how long I've lived in Cateline, I've never been around, and I know very little about my homeland. Don't you know a lot about Hyrule, Your Majesty?"

"Let her go, Link. You don't know what it's like, it's confusing. People of high status have a different mindset than those like you."

"What are you saying?"

"Link, you appreciate the simple things in life."

"And I do too!" I interjected, wanting to be put apart from normal rich snobs.

"But we've grown up with fine things, and completely different education. We've been trained to want to know much, Link. She's just acting on her nobility instinct, or perhaps the primal instinct, that one must know the terrain. It could be either."

"But why do you have to go now?!" He whined at me.

"Because if I don't, there's a chance that my family won't forgive me for what I did!" I screamed, finally at my breaking point.

"What did you do?"

"Nana wanted to put me in an arranged marriage, but I would have none of it, so instead of doing what she wanted, I went off to save Hyrule with you and Midna."

"I don't know whether or not to feel relieved of upset." Link muttered.

"Try relieved." I replied. "It's _so_ much easier than being upset."

.~:*:~.

My hand quivered, but I took a deep breath, and opened the door. "Nana, I'm back."

"Good!" She clapped her hands, and started speaking rapidly. "I've been looking around town and I've compiled a list of boys of marriageable age that I think you would work well with. They're only from Legacy. However, if none of them are good for you, we can start expanded out horizons to different towns, and perhaps dip into court. . What do you think?"

I looked over the list. "No."

"No as in you don't feel that a marriage between any of those men would work, or-"

"I mean 'no, I'm not getting into an arranged marriage.' Nana, I'm an adult now; you can't tell me what to do. I live my own life now." Placing the parchment on the desk, I turned around and started to leave the room.

I swallowed, paused, and said the most horrid thing she had ever heard. "Besides, you're not my Mother.

"I don't have one."

* * *

**Now my dad is sick, and I warned the old fart, but he's all 'nah'. What did I tell him?!**

**So, update, Ely is leaving Link. She's gonna go travel around Cateline, but first she has to go get her family to forgive her. Too bad that didn't work out to well. . . she ends up insulting the woman who raised her, but nothing is known about Kain, Axel, Sasha, and Kina. Ely didn't see them. Again, I'm sorry it's really short but I thought that the ending I have was a good one. **


	29. Chapter 28

I spent the majority of my time traveling around Cateline, learning the landscape I'd lived in my whole life, but never really known. I made so many new friends, and learned so much, that as I looked back at my life, I was a completely different girl than the one that set out to save Cateline all those months ago.

I was spending time in Castle Royale when I got the letter with the Hylian royal seal. I opened it, and gasped. I was to be knighted! **That's an honor. **Psyche muttered. **Being knighted twice. **

I forgot to mention that I was knighted here in Cateline too. They tried to find Kalle, but being a Sheikah, he was a little difficult to track down. He wasn't knighted, and-

"Ely?"

I looked up. "Kalle! What are you doing here?!" I jumped into his embrace, "I've missed you so much."

He sniffed, "I missed you too, Ely, dearly."

Frowning, I moved the scarf around the bottom half of his face, something was wrong. "Kalle, what happened?"

"Do you remember the village of Sheikah in the desert?"

"Yes. . ."

"They were recently wiped out, I don't know how." He whispered. I pressed his forehead to my shoulder.

"Oh, Kalle. . ." I stroked his long blonde hair. "Everything'll be fine." We stayed like that for a while, and he reminded me of a lost puppy. He looked so fearful and lonely, that I ended up letting him stay with me, curled up in a small ball as he slept right next to me.

Nothing happened; but I just couldn't throw him back onto the streets.

Could you?

.~:*:~.

Link was different too. We met up at dinner one night, and I only gasped when I saw him at first. He was stronger, and his skin was darker. But he looked so much older. "How is everything in Ordon?" I asked, taking a seat next to him.

He sighed, the strain on his face finally showing. "All is not well in Ordon. One of the monsters in the woods attacked Mayor Bo; he didn't make it. . ."

_He didn't? _I liked that guy, he was jolly. But now. . . "Who succeeded him?"

"I did." Link whispered. "I'm now Mayor Link of Ordon."

I laughed, and took a bite of Orange Chicken. "You have so many titles now. Hero of Twilight, Mayor of Ordon, and the new knighted title your about to get."

Link laughed. "How about you?"

"I think Kaye hates me. . ." I muttered. "But I was all over Cateline, and I learned so much." I smiled dreamily. "Every town is different; every town has something different about them. Customs, history. . ."

He finished his drink, and pushed the plate away. He looked at me, and said "Let's go for a walk."

We pushed through the crowds and out the grounds. The stars were sparkling against the black canvas of sky. "The stars are so beautiful tonight, aren't they, Link?"

"They are." He answered. _Just like you. . ._

"There's more in Ordon, isn't there?" I asked.

"Not as much light." He replied. We sat down on the fountain, and watched the stars. I glanced downward without moving my head. Link's hand was inching closer to my own, until our fingers touched ever so slightly.

A spark shot up my spine, and I glanced over at Link, who was looking at me. I smiled brightly at him, and his thumb ran over my hand.

I guess that old spark was back.

With a smile, I leaned in to kiss him, and his grip on my hands tightened.

* * *

**What is with all these short chapters? I think that's about four in a row now! I'm sorry they're like this, but at least I'm updating everyday! So that's some condelances!**


	30. Chapter 29

I stretched the next morning, feeling my back shift into position, and smiled. Today was the day I was to be knighted. My dress was hanging next to the mirror, and there was numerous cosmetics prepared for me. "Good morning, Miss Heroine." A younger maid chirped. "Shall I draw your bath?"

"Please." I replied, getting out of bed and doing a couple stretches.

"Mimi and Karma should be in soon to help you get prepared." She moved around the bathroom for a few minutes. "Okay, it's ready!" I slipped a toe in to test the temperature, and found it satisfactory. With a tug, I pulled off my nightgown, and sunk my entire body into the warm water.

Sid, the maid, helped me wash and clean my hair. Mimi handed me a towel and I dried off. A few hours later, I was dressed most beautifully and examining myself in floor length mirror.

My hair (which went to my waist now) was brushed until it shone, they put in a style that they called the Edwardian. I had two twists, one on either side of my head. The rest of my hair fell down my back.

I was in some robes, which looked like a female version of Link's tunic. "When Queen Zelda declared that a woman was to be knighted, we were in utter chaos. It's been so long since a woman was knighted, that everyone has forgotten what she wore. So, we whipped this up in the time allotted." Karma muttered.

The robes themselves were green, as were the Hero of Time's clothes. The top has a scoop neck, and straps and inch wide. I had white gloves that went to my elbows, with an emerald and gold armband around my left arm. My skirt was green and long, falling a foot behind me in a train, with brown designs stitched along the hem. I had white flats on, and I felt gorgeous.

"You looked wonderful." Sid declared, clapping her hands.

I looked at her over my shoulder, and smiled hopefully. "You think so?"

"Please," Karma snorted. "We know so!"

I beamed, "Thanks guys."

"It's time to go!" Mimi squealed. "Let's go, go, go!"

.~:*:~.

There was a giant crowd in the throne room. Link and I took one look out, and looked back at each other. All the color drained from our faces, and he reached for my hand. "Don't try and kiss me here," I warned. "Unless you want some make-up on."

With a sly smile, he brought my gloved hand up to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. "Good luck, Miss Heroine."

"Thanks, and you too, Mayor of Ordon."

Royal trumpeters began to play, and we stepped along the stairs. The crowd stood solemnly as we walked, and I saw many people smile. We walked beneath the arc of the musicians, and knelt before the throne on the steps.

The hall fell silent, and Zelda rose from her throne.

"Good people, today we celebrate the bravery of two people. They put their own lives at risk for our own, for the freedom that we have. They fought valiantly against the evil that threatened light, and won.

"But not without sacrifice. We lost a very good comrade; we will never see her again. She is back with her people, and we honor her bravery." I bowed my head, but tilted it slightly so I could see Link. He bit his lip, and we felt the pain course between us.

"But we also gather here to knight two people that we owe our lives today." She took an ornamental sword from a velvet case that a council member held. "And with this sword, I hereby dub thee Lady Elyon of the Order of the Triforce." She tapped my left shoulder as she said Lady Elyon, and tapped my right when she said Order of the Triforce. "You may rise." I rose to my feet gracefully, and kept my head bowed.

"And I hereby dub thee Sir Link of the Order of the Triforce." She tapped his shoulder and said "You may rise."

We turned towards the crowd, new titles still fresh in our minds.

**Lady Elyon of the Order of the Triforce. . . It has a certain ring to it. **Psyche said.

_I think you're right, for once. _I laughed mentally.

Looking through the crowd, I spotted a pair of burning ruby eyes staring at us from the rafters.

I smiled at Kalle.

* * *

**Yay for knighting-ness! And Kalle came back again! I like Kalle, he's one of my favorite characters, I dunno know why, he kinda just is. Now, we are actually approaching the end of the story, I think there's about seven chapters more after this one... *is sad* But that's still a ways away!**


	31. Chapter 30

The next day I slept in until lunch. I was up all night listening to Link tossing and turning in the room next door. That battle must've had a lasting effect on him. I rolled over to meet with a pair of aquamarine eyes. "Ah!" I acted on instinct, and jumped _away _from the beast like eyes. . .

And off the bed.

"Ooh. . ." I moaned, rubbing my neck. I looked over and found Link sitting on his heels across the bed from me.

"Sorry Ely," he said, looking upset.

"No, it's okay." I waved it off. "How are _you _doing? I heard you last night. . ."

He sighed. "Sorry about that, I'm a country boy who's just been all over the world, facing fears and beings beyond imagination. . . Things that someone should never see, things that no one can forget."

"Things that'll haunt your memories." I finished. "It's okay, Link." I rubbed his shoulder. He toyed with the ring around his neck. Suddenly, he stared at me with a look I had only seen once, but on a different man.

"Ely, would you marry me if I asked you to?"

Where did that come from?

"Link," I looked at the floor, ashamed. "I don't know."

"Oh," he looked uncomfortable. His stomach growled. "I'm gonna get something to eat. Do you want anything?" I shook my head. Looking relieved, he rushed from the room.

Sighing, I tied my hair up, and lay down on the couch in the room. With a soft thud, I heard someone land on my balcony. I looked up to find Kalle opening the door and stepping inside. "Hey, Ely."

"It's _Lady _Ely now." I corrected him with a giggle. "I was knighted yesterday, but _you_ should know that."

He leaned his forearms against the back of the couch, "I wasn't aware I was to refer to you as that."

I shrugged, "I just wanted to flaunt it for a moment."

He chuckled. "Figures."

"Would you like to sit?" I asked, bringing my legs into my torso.

"Thank you." He answered, sitting down. We were silent for a few minutes, until he spoke. "I heard what Link asked you, why don't you know?"

I gave him a look, and said, "I don't know. . . I love both you and him, but. . ."

Kalle frowned, and took my hands. "Ely, listen to me. That one night, on the eve of your eighteenth birthday, was all I needed for me to be happy. To let you know that I loved you, that was all I needed. If I'm what's holding you back from Link, then let me go."

"But, why?" I gasped. "Did I do something wrong?"

He shook his head, "Link can give you a stable lifestyle. He's mayor of Ordon, he's the hero that _everybody _loves. He can give you what I can't. He can love you without the fear of enemies hunting you down. Ely, there are some sick people out there killing all of the Sheikah. I can't- I _won't _put you in that danger."

He stood up and turned his back to me. "Ely, I'm not called the Flying Shadow for no reason. I don't have a real home, I'm in different inns every night, or in some random location in some place I don't know the name of. I'm not letting you deal with that! I _am _the Flying Shadow, _that's all I'm ever going to be._ Do you understand?

"Link can give you a home, a good, strong roof over your head, he can give you a steady income, and he can give you a safe family. I can't. Ely, it's time to let me go. I'll always love you, and you have no idea how much this hurts me, but _Link is better for you_."

"I'll always love you too." I whispered.

He kissed my cheek one last time, before turning to the balcony. "See you around, Ely."

"I'll never forget you."

"And I you." He easily pushed off the rail, and he was gone.

"See you around, Kalle."

* * *

**So, it's official, Ely has chosen Link instead of Kalle. But that's not the end of Kalle, he's gonna pop up at least once more in this story. I really need to stop uploading all these short chapters... it's even making me upset now. Yeah, and the next chapter is only a little longer... but it's _eventful!_ So, there.**


	32. Chapter 31

I felt very sick for the next few days, and once word reached Zelda, she sent the best doctor to tend to me. No, it's not the one that refused to treat Ralis; it was the royal physician, a man named Dr. Raphael.

I had a fever, but no one could understand what was wrong with me. I had stopped eating, and slept most of the day away. I didn't even know what was wrong with me. . .

But Psyche did.

**You're suffering psychologically; your mind is making you sick. **

"Ely, please eat something!" Zelda begged. After I refused, she changed tactics. "As Queen of the country you are staying in, I _command _you to eat something before you die!"

Sighing, I reached my arm out and grabbed the loaf of sourdough bread on the plate. I tore into it with my teeth. "There, Your Highness. Are you happy?"

She frowned at my attitude, "It's a start." And with her dignity that always amazed me, she turned on her heel and left the room. I chewed the bread slowly, before looking at the soup. I was suddenly very hungry, and I finished the food on the tray.

Finally with the strength to sit up, I leaned back against my headboard. So my mind was making me sick, how do I fix that?

**The stress. Think about it, Ely. You're bothered internally, something is knowing away at your soul, what is it?**

_Link. . ._

**Go fix it.**

When I tried to argue, he interrupted me with a continuing mantra of 'go fix it!' We repeated this for a minute before I was finally sick of it.

_Fine! I'll go talk to Link, dammit!_

I huffed and pulled a robe out. With one sleeve over my arm, I looked out the window to find it dark out. So Link was probably asleep right now. Oh well, whether or not he answers is his choice, just talking to him will make me feel better. I stole away from my room, and into his. With a deep breath, I knelt next to the lump in the covers on the floor.

"Link, I'm sorry about what happened. I've been so confused lately, and I think you need to know something. While I love you, I love Kalle too. But, he told me some things a few days ago, and said that he- he said that you could give me things that he couldn't, and said that if-" I sniffed "-that if he was holding me back from you, that I shouldn't let him. Link, I love you so much. . . I was just torn between the both of you, and I'm sorry that what I said offended you. . ."

I bit my lip, unsure of what to say next. "Link, I'd love to marry you." A split second later, I decided that I had overstayed my welcome.

**Where will you go now?**

_I'm not sure. _I shrugged, and left the room. I peeled off my nightgown, and pulled on my new outfit. I had some black short shorts, finding them easy to move in, and a purple V-neck top that's straps tied at the back of my neck. I think you would call it a halter top? When it got chilly, I had a cloak like Midna's in black with a silver layer inside. My black boots came to right below my knees, and I finished packing my things.

I swung my bag over my shoulder and turned to find Zelda there. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

She tilted her head, "Leaving so soon, Lady Knight?"

"I've been a burden long enough. I thank you greatly for the hospitality."

"You are never a burden."

I sighed. "I'll be traveling around, so if you don't hear from me for a while, I might be with the Flying Shadow."

She nodded, "Take care."

"You too." Zelda stepped out of my path towards the door.

I walked past her with a weak smile. I found my way to the stables where Wings was being treated like royalty. I knew the stable hands were probably asleep right now, as I thought was the rest of Hyrule.

. . . Which probably explains why I jumped and started to scream bloody murder when I saw Link, fully dressed, leaning against the door to the tack room, staring at me with aquamarine eyes. In two strides, he had covered my mouth. "Ely, shush! I'm not gonna hurt you."

He let go of me and stood inches away from me.

And said nothing.

I went into the tack room, and began to gather Wings' saddle blankets. I turned around and dropped the blankets when I found him on one knee with the necklace he always wore around his neck resting in his palm.

"Marry me, Ely."

* * *

**Told you it was eventful. So, Link told Ely to marry him. Will she marry him? Will we ever hear about Midna again? What about Zelda? Oh, the questions! (Next time on General Hospital is what this feels like...)**


	33. Chapter 32

I woke up the next morning in a soft bed, snuggled under a thick quilt. I heard a door open and shut, and footsteps quietly on the floor. Frowning, I tried to recall what I last remembered.

"_Marry me, Ely." It wasn't a question. _

_Grinning, I threw myself into his waiting embrace. "Yes! Yes, Link, I'll marry you!"_

_He smirked against my neck, and said "Pretending to be asleep is the best thing I ever did."_

So how did I get here?

I rolled over and found Link straightening up some books. "Link. . .?"

He jumped, "Ely! You're awake!"

I pushed my hair off my forehead, "How did I get here?"

"I rode here with you in front of me."

"What about Wings?"

"Just finished brushing him. He and the other horses are getting along fine."

I smiled. "That's good."

"Are you hungry?" He asked nervously, "I have some bread and cheese and juice for you." Throwing the quilt back, I walked over to the table that Link was standing at. "It must not be much compared to what you're used to-"

Smiling, I kissed his cheek. "It's fine, Link." I sat down at the small table and watched as he made the bed. "That's a nice quilt."

He smiled, "Uli made it for me when Talo tore mine using it as a parachute. It was fall, and Malo wasn't even born yet. . . It was so long ago. . ."

Finishing my food, I found that I was in a nightgown. "Who. . .?"

"Ilia's nightgown. Uli changed you. Why don't you get dressed? I want you to meet everyone." He patted a pile of clothes on the table. My normal clothes. "You can change upstairs." I tucked them under my arm, and walked upstairs. Quickly, I changed into my normal outfit and folded the nightgown.

Not sure where to place it, I held onto it. Link took it from me, and grabbed my hand gently. I searched for his features for a moment, remembering the strain I saw on his face before we were knighted. It wasn't there anymore. His skin was clear of any worry lines, and his blue eyes shimmered to no end.

He led me out of the house, and started to talk to me. "Ilia lives in my old house now, but we don't see her too often in the town proper anymore." He paused on the bridge, and looked around. "Do you miss Colin?"

"Is he doing okay?" I answered automatically. "He had me worried for a little while. . ."

"Then let's go see him." Link declared. We turned left and walked along the path, and I found the entire family on the front porch. The woman I presumed as Uli was sitting in a chair with a baby that looked about a year old. Rusl and Colin were sitting on the steps, Colin reading slowly from a book.

"Link!" The woman called, and that sent the boy's heads up.

"Link!" I moved out from behind the Hero, and Rusl's eyes widened. "And Ely! Good Goddesses, girl, what are you doing here?"

"Ely!" Colin screeched, abandoning his book and running to hug me. I dropped to my knees and held him close, realizing how much I missed the formerly timid boy.

"It's so good to see you!" I grinned. "How have you been?"

He grinned back at me. "I've been great! Dad started to teach me some sword stuff too! And Link is teaching me to ride a horse, I can trot now!" I bit my lip.

"Aw, Colin, you're growing up so fast!" I smiled through tears of joy in my eyes. "I'm so proud of you!" And I pulled him back for another hug.

Link tapped my shoulder, "Ely, this is Uli, and this is the newest member of the family Calyx." I stood up, and shook hands with Uli.

"Very nice to meet you," I started. "Link's said the very best about you."

She smiled. "He's said the very best about you as well." I smiled at her.

"Why don't you two have dinner here tonight?" Rusl suggested. "We have a lot to catch up on, Ely. I haven't heard from you in a while."

I looked at Link, who nodded. "That's a good idea."

"Be over by six chimes tonight!" Uli called to us as she set Calyx in her cradle, and Colin took up his book again.

"Who should you meet next?" Link wondered out loud as he led me down a path. He took me over a bridge to the house with a waterwheel on the side of it. "Hey, Jaggle!" He called, waving to a man who was pulling pumpkins of their vines.

"Yo, Link!" He called back. He stopped his work and looked at me. "Who's this?" He asked, looking at me.

Link smirked, "Ely's a _good friend_ of mine."

Jaggle nodded. "Nice ta meetcha, Ely. I'm Jaggle, I'ma pumpkin farmer here." We shook hands.

"Have a good crop this year?" Link asked.

"We gots about 36 good strong ones this year." Jaggle confirmed. "How many are we gonna send off and how many are stayin'?"

"Let me look over who buys them and I'll get back to you on that one." Link stated, after rubbing his chin for a moment.

"Listen, Pergie's in the house, she's bin itching to meetcha, Ely. If I were ya, Link, I'd go introduce her, _soon_."

We bade Jaggle good-bye, and went inside his house, where a woman was cleaning dishes. "Jaggle, we need- Oh, you're not my husband! I'm sorry, Link!"

Link shook his head, "No need to apologize, Pergie. I'd like you to meet-"

"You must be Ely!" She realized. "I'm Pergie, I've heard so much about you."

"All good things, I hope." I replied.

"If you get Link to start about his adventure, we hear 'and then Ely did this and Ely did that! She's amazing at this, and I was so glad she was there when that happened. . .' And so on."

I glared at Link, "What did you do?"

He laughed nervously, and changed the subject. "Hey, Talo, Malo!"

Malo gave me a look, and Talo smirked at me. "Hey, Ely. How's life been?"

I thought for a moment of a way to sum everything up. "Crazy." I grinned.

"Lucky." He grumbled. "Everything's so boring here!"

With a quick glance at their Mother, and Link down and whispered "Tell you what, when you get older, I'll take you all over the world."

"Promise?" Talo and Malo pressed.

"Promise." Link replied. He straightened up. "Sorry to cut this short, but there's still many people for Ely to meet."

"See ya!" They chorused as we left. "Next is Beth, and Hanch, and Sera." He led me to the purple tiled roof, and opened the door. "Hey Sera, how's business?"

"Pretty good." She confirmed. "Who's your friend?" She looked pointedly at me. "You must be Ely."

Warily, I asked "How could you tell?"

"You just ooze city slicker." She replied snottily.

**How can you still ooze city slicker after all you've been through? **

_My thoughts exactly. I don't like this woman. She just oozes evil! _I mentally laughed as I imitated her.

"She doesn't ooze city slicker." Link stated firmly, defending me. "Even when she did live in the city, she didn't ooze city slicker. And after all that traveling in the wild, no one can ooze anything anymore.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, I'd like to finish showing Ely around."

His grip was firm around my wrist, and he led me out. I heard the she-devil mumble something like 'brat.' I heard Link growl, and cocked my head curiously at him. "Some of my wolf qualities stayed," he whispered. "Better hearing, smell, sight. . . that type of thing." We stopped in front of a small man throwing rocks at a bee's nest.

"Hey, Hanch." He jumped a foot into the air before turning to face us.

"Oh, Link!" He put a hand to his pounding heart. I could barely hear it, but I heard the tiniest bit. "You scared me!"

Link rubbed his neck. "Sorry about that, I wanted you to meet Ely."

Hanch turned to me. "So you're the Ely we've heard so much about?"

I nodded, "Yes."

He smiled, "It's good to finally meet you. You seem like a nice girl. Ignore my wife if she's mean, she's just upset that Link isn't marrying Ilia. She has this crazy notion in her head that Link's in love with you!"

Link and I exchanged a look that said _'you don't know how right you are.' _

"Where's Beth?" I asked curiously.

"She's resting; her throat was hurting so we put her to bed." Hanch shook his head. "I should probably go check in on her. Take care. Nice to meet you, Ely!"

"You too!" I smiled back at him.

"Okay, we're almost done!" Link declared, and we started down the bridge. "There are three families that live here, but they mostly keep to themselves. One of my best friends lives here."

I saw four kids all around the age of ten playing around a fire that a woman was cooking over. There were two little girls, they were playing house it seemed, as both of them had little dolls tucked in their arms and were rocking them. The boys had wooden swords and were play-fighting, under the watchful eye of a boy around my age.

I saw all of them had pointed ears.

"They came from Kakariko when I was seven." Link whispered quietly, "They, along with Rusl and his family, are the closest thing I have to a real family."

I smiled at him. "You'll have a real family soon, Link. I promise."

"Link! Hey!" The older boy called. "How goes it?"

"It goes well." Link replied. "Neo, this is Ely. Ely, this is Neo." Neo's hair was Link's length, bangs that fringed over his eyes, and dirty blonde. His eyes were a blue color.

Neo looked at me, "So you're the Ely that has our Link head over heels. Nice to finally meet ya. Hopefully you can rein the wolf in him in for us."

I looked at Link, "Told him everything. Didn't believe me until Midna popped out and gave him a right good smack across the face."

"Well, I suppose you should meet everyone else in our little circle of love here!" Neo strutted to the two boys, who had stopped playing and watched us instead. "Ely, this is Aro and Nolan. Troublemakers, this is Ely."

"She's pretty!" Aro declared. His hair was blonde and his eyes were gray.

"Her eyes are-" Nolan started. His hair was black and his eyes were purple.

"Like the sun? I know!" Aro finished. "But she's-"

"Link's girl. . ." Nolan sighed.

With a sigh in unison, they looked at me. I blinked. "You sure they're not twins?"

Link patted my shoulder. "Positive."

"The two little girls are Ryder and Rasia." Rasia's hair was a ruby red, and her eyes were bright green. Ryder's hair was the same color as mine, and her eyes matched her hair.

They looked up as each of their names were said, and walked over. Rasia tugged on Link's tunic, "Is this Ely?"

"Yes, this is Ely. Why don't you show her your dolls? Introduce them too." Link suggested.

I knelt down to their height, "This is Sari." Rasia stated, holding out a doll with blond braids and red X's (from the stitching) for eyes. "She's a Sheikah." The young girl whispered lowly.

Ryder had a doll with black hair and red X's. "Dalia is a Sheikah too."

"But shh!" They said together.

"Did I tell you I know a Sheikah?" I whispered quietly. "Two, actually."

"Really?!" They cried, slapping their hands to their cheeks in child-like surprise. "What are they like?" I told them about Impaz and Kalle, what little I did know.

"Ely," I looked up, waiting for someone else to meet. "This is Myrah, she's the Mother of Ryder and Nolan. And this is Anima, she's the doctor in this town."

I stood up, "So let's see if I have this. Nolan, Aro, Neo, Myrah, Anima, Ryder, and Rasia?"

"You got it." Anima smiled. Her face softened as she asked "Link, are you going to go see Ilia soon?"

"I was going to go check up on her after this, why?" Everybody's features had softened, remembering the recently made orphan.

"Could you take her this?" Anima asked, handing over a basket. "That ladder if too hard on my old joints. . ."

"I'll take it right now." Link said tenderly, slipping his arm through the handle. He smiled at them all, and we bide them a good day as we went to Link's former house. Ilia was picking some apples off vines and putting them in a woven bowl.

"Ilia?" I asked.

"Ely?!" She gasped. Placing the bowl on the ground, we hugged each other. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." I replied, cradling her head. "I heard about your Dad, and I'm really sorry. I know what it's like to lose someone you love."

Link cleared his throat. "Anima made this basket for you."

Ilia nodded and took it. "Thanks, Link." She put her basket of apples on top of it, and shifted her weight. "Sorry to cut this reunion short, but I've got a pie baking and I was going to make another one for Uli."

"Can I help?" I asked.

Ilia smiled, and nodded. "Sure, why not."

I turned to Link. "Go ahead, I have some mayor work to do anyways, don't forget about dinner at Rusl and Uli's."

"I won't!" He smiled at me and walked out of the clearing, while Ilia and I entered her house. Instead of Link's things occupying the walls, crowding bookshelves, and sprawled across the table, it was her and Bo's things neatly organized in their places. Covering her hands in cloth, she pulled out the first pie and set it on the table to cool.

"Can you peel apples?"

"You bet!"

"Peel these for me, please." She handed me a peeler and I set to work.

"You just got into town last night, right?" Ilia asked.

"Yeah. It's still a mystery how Link got me here though. . . I kinda fell asleep on the way."

"Link's been known to produce miracles." She sighed. "You two did save Hyrule all by yourselves, after all!"

Cutting the apples now, I felt a pang inside me. Link and Ilia were sweethearts before I came along, and if I didn't come along, perhaps it would've been her and him getting married, instead of him and I. Hell, maybe it would've been Kalle and I getting married!

But was I unhappy with the way my life was unfolding?

Hell no!

I was getting married to the man I love, who could _not _like the way my life was unfolding?

. . . Okay, I can name a few people who are probably quite unhappy right now.

But it's their problem, not mine.

We finished making the pie, and Ilia put it in the over to bake. I glanced out the window, "I should probably get going. Thanks, Ilia. It was nice seeing you again."

She nodded, "It was good to see you again." I opened the door, "And Ilia?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

* * *

**So, Ely said yes to Link! Though she didn't have much of a choice from the way _he _proposed. Yes, this story _is _actually wrapping up. _And, _I named that little baby sister Colin got. She's gonna be in the sequel, once I start working on the damn thing. So far, I have a Harry Potter one that's occupying most of my time. Just to make this longer, let's write some more, (as 'time' in the last sentence was the 2,999 word.). I have a party tonight! And, OHMIGOD, end of the pathectically short chapters! Yeah!**


	34. Chapter 33

"So, you will be the first to know that Ely and I are getting married. . ." Link said.

Uli clapped her hands, "That's wonderful! I'll make your dress! I have some cloth that needs to be used."

Colin was smiling. Rusl clapped his hand on Link's shoulder, congratulating him on finally asking me to marry him.

We celebrated with some sweets, and Link I headed back to his house. We changed into our sleeping attire, and he lay down on the bed. I curled up against him, and lay a kiss on the scar on his shoulder. "Not until we're married," he whispered.

Sighing in slight discontent, I curled up tightly against him. He put his chin on top of my head, and his arms wrapped around me. I fell asleep like that, in heaven.

News spread like wildfire, by noon the next day, everyone knew that Link and I were getting married. We were planning a small wedding, just for us and some close friends.

Ilia would have none of it. And that's how, in two weeks, our entire wedding had been planned, Uli had sewn my wedding dress, and I was in a small room in the royal temple, waiting for my time to walk down the aisle.

Ilia had sent word to Queen Zelda, and she sent a royal summons to the entire village and all of our friends.

I turned my body slightly so I could look at myself in the full length mirror. My dress was pretty simple, compared to what I'd turned down from the royal seamstresses. It was white, and fell to the floor. It laced up in the back, and had a small V neck dip in front. It was strapless. Embroidered along the hem was a design of Uli's own creation, a bunch of lines curving and weaving around the dress. On my feet were a pair of white leather sandals.

My hair was pulled into a half-braid, where the top half was braided and the other part hung down. I fastened my veil with pins, and it fell to my waist. My eyes had a feline liner around them, and my lips were a luscious pink. "You look beautiful, Ely." Axel assured me.

"More beautiful than you would've been if you were marrying someone Nana picked out."

"Is she here?" Panic edged my voice. I was so horrible to her, and it kept gnawing away at me.

"She is."

"Oh no! I can't face her, I just can't! I was so horrible-"

"Ely, you had a certain right to do that! She may have raised you, but what you said was completely true. You _are _and adult now, you have _no mother_. It's all true. And the truth can hurt! She knows that, and I think she'll be able to forgive you! Ely, you're getting married today, enjoy it!"

"Enjoy _tonight_." Kain purred seductively. "You better give me nieces and nephews."

I shoved him, "You pervert! I pity the woman you marry. . ."

He laughed, "There is no woman right now, you'll just have to wait." He smirked.

"What about you, Axe?" I asked.

He shrugged, "Me neither. And here our little sister is getting married. Should we consider this pathetic?"

"I believe so." Rennifer stated. "Now, come on, Ely, it's time."

My brothers kissed my cheek, and we lined up. Kina and Sasha were the flower girls. They stepped down the aisle throwing petals down.

Axel and Ilia stepped down the aisle next, as a bridesmaid.

Kain and Zelda followed, as my other bridesmaid.

Rennifer walked down the aisle alone, acting as my maid of honor. Finally, it was my turn. I stepped forward, and paused at the top of the staircase. Taking a deep breath and smiling, I descended the staircase, traveling over the red carpet. Link was standing at the altar, with Neo beside him. I saw Link's eyes light up as I continued down the aisle, and I focused on my steps, making sure I wouldn't trip.

Finally, I stepped up the last step, and was standing before my husband to be. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the hallow sanctuary of the Goddesses to unite this man and this woman in holy matrimony." Link and I were smiling as he took my hands.

The monk continued to speak, but I didn't comprehend what he was saying. Instead, I was getting lost in Link's eyes. "Do you, Link, vow to care for Ely, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, til death do you part?"

"I swear." Link assured him.

"And do you, Elyon, vow to care for Link, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, til death do you part?"

"I swear." I replied.

"May the Goddesses shine down upon your marriage." He smiled. "With the blessing of the Goddesses and the Spirits, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

And Link wasted no time in capturing my lips in his own.

.~:*:~.

"Congratulations!" I heard a giant cheer as we entered the ballroom.

Link smoothed back his hair, and stared at the crowd. "Wow. . ."

"I know. I think we have many friends, and- Nana!" Sure enough the woman was advancing towards us. I embraced her, and said into her shoulder "Nana, I'm sorry. I was upset, and I didn't know what I was saying. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Ely, don't worry. I was a rebellious teenager once as well, and I've said some things that I regret too. As long as you're happy, I'm happy. And you look very happy to me." We looked at Link, who was talking to some friends. "Good luck, child. I'll always love you."

"I'll always love you as well, Nana." And we broke apart, her to go mingle with guests, and me back to my husband.

Link nudged my arm, "Look at Zelda, Ely." I located the Queen by the buffet, talking to Hunter.

And they looked like they were having quite a good time.

"Perhaps a new King is coming?" I whispered quietly.

"Only time will tell." Link replied.

We spent the rest of the afternoon mingling with guests, and planning our lives out.

Finally, we ended up on Epona, trotted out of Castle Town through a shower of flowers from the roof tops, and towards the place where we would spend the next week.

The ocean.

* * *

**Yay! Ely and Link _finally _are together in every sense of being together. And, Ely is repairing ties with her family and friends that got fried at some point. _No_, this fic will _not _be turning M rated at all. There is some implied love-making, but I don't feel comfortable posting a lemon/lime/_whatever _you wanna call it. Yes, there _is _an ocean, but it's bordering Cateline.**


	35. Chapter 34

I woke up the next morning in silky sheets with Link's toned body right beside me. One of the doors that led to the porch was open, and I smelled the salty sea air as the waves crashed against the shore.

We were currently at the Northwestern area of Cateline, which ran along the ocean. There was a small town along the border, which we called Nereus. We (Link and I) had about four more days here. However, I never wanted to go.

I loved spending my time here. Lazy days walking along the beach, wild nights in my lover- no, huband's arms.

Husband.

That word was so foreign to me.

**You have to get used to it, though. **

_Why can't you make yourself scarce for until Link and I get back to Ordon?_

**Fine, but only because you asked so nicely. **

_. . . Burn in hell._

**Only if you do, babe. **

I had mixed feelings about- "You never told me what the water was called."

Link pressed his chin to my shoulder, and we both stared at the vast expanse of blue on the horizon. "It's an ocean. We call it the Great Ocean. People say that's more lands than just Hyrule and Cateline lie beyond it, a land where there is no Triforce. The land where us Catelinians came from."

I shrugged, "But no one knows for sure." I paused, "And, no, you can't journey out and see if they're right or not. I won't lose you like that."

He sighed, "Fine. Kill my wanderlust."

I tilted back and kissed his mouth for a moment. "I just can't stand the thought of losing you, Link. I'd die if you left me."

"And I think I'd die if I had to live without you, Ely."

Smiling, I leaned against his bare (and toned) chest. "Are you wearing _anything_?" I giggled.

"Trousers, but nothing else." He purred. "What about you? What are you wearing under that robe?"

"Nothing." I whispered. He growled (not unlike a wolf) and nipped at my neck.

"Come back inside with me. . ." He replied, leading me back to the bedroom.

* * *

**Ely and Link are on their honeymoon! Yay! I don't know what else to say! Uhhh. . . There's two more chapters after this one and then the story is gonna end! I still don't know what to say. . . So, I guess I'm. . . done. Well, hope you liked it!**


	36. Chapter 35

Nine months later, I was pacing outside my house, my sensitive hearing caught my wife whimpering in pain. It has been nine months since the wedding. Ely was delivering my child. "Link, relax," Rusl soothed. "She'll be fine! Uli, Ilia, Myrah, _and_ Anima are in there helping her!"

But why couldn't I be?

Growling, I crossed my arms and glared at the door. "I won't relax until I find my wife healthly with my healthy child in my arms." My glare eventually turned into a stare, and I waited patiently. Rusl and Neo stood right beside me, waiting for the news.

About an hour later, the door creaked open, and Ilia came out. Her face was strained, but she looked at me and her features lit up with joy. "A baby boy, Link. A baby boy."

Smiling and tearing up, I ran forward and into my house. (Which I had been rudely kicked out of earlier. . .)

I saw Ely sitting in bed, with a blanket bundle cradled in her arms. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm sore, I'm sweaty, I never want to go through that again, and I'm pretty sure I look dreadful."

Chuckling, I reached my forefinger down and the little baby boy grabbed it. His hair was a dirty blonde like mine, and his eyes were a stunning gold. "Even for this?"

"Talk to me when I'm reasonable again." She replied. Offering our child to me, she asked "Would you like to hold him?"

Uh. . . "I'm afraid I'll drop him."

She scooted over, and patted the spot next to her. "Sit." I did so, and she showed me what to do to hold the baby. When my arms were correctly positioned, she gently lowered the bundle, and I instinctively cradled it against my chest. "There's your son, Link." She kissed my cheek and lay her head on my shoulder.

I peered closely at my son's eyes, and saw flecks of red in his eyes. "He's so handsome. . . I betcha he'll be chased by girls when he's older."

Ely ran a slender finger along his cheek, and she looked up at me, gold eyes locking with blue. "What should we name him?"

Name him? That hadn't even crossed my mind!

I glanced around the house, looking for idea. "What do you think?"

She pressed her hands together, "Well, I want the name to have meaning. And I kinda wanted to name him after a good friend of mine. . ."

"Who?" Did I know them?

"Didn't I tell you about Kalle? He helped me save Cateline, and I wanted to honor him. But I don't want that to be his only name. . ."

"A name from you and a name from me?" I proposed.

"Yours first, because it's a boy."

"Caius." I declared after a moment of thought. "It seems fitting. Caius Kalle."

"Then that's our son. Caius Kalle."

When Caius was a few months old, we headed off to Castle Town to show Zelda and have the monk bless the baby. What we didn't expect to see was all of our friends from all over the world were there. Ralis, Ely's family from Cateline, the recently married Vaughn and Rennifer (now Re Vaughn and Regina Rennifer), The Group, and Hunter.

Apparently, plans were being made for their marriage. "You get to plan our entire wedding, and we don't even know that you're getting married? How rude!" I joked.

Zelda flushed. "It was a sudden thing, my apologies."

"Take it easy, you wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of your King, would you?"

"There's always Cateline." Ely snorted, Hunter glared.

"But do tell us about your baby!" Rennifer prompted, a bump just barely beginning to form on her abdomen.

Zelda brought us to a private sitting room, where Ely was told to sit on the velvet couch. We all gathered around, and I beamed at the attention my son was getting. Caius cooed, giggled and wiggled around in Ely's arms.

"Aww!" The women said, forming a tight circle around the baby. Ely took the small blue blanket that Uli made with Caius' full name and placed it in my lap. The baby was wearing a long, dress-like shirt.

"What's his name?" Telma asked.

"Caius Kalle." I stated. "But we just call him Caius."

"Aww!" Ashei and Rennifer gathered around to get a better look. The men were pushed out of the side, and we grumbled for a moment. I waited for about five minutes before striding over to the crowd of femme fatales. I stood behind my wife, and looked at Caius. He lifted his arms and cooed. I reached into the crowd and pulled my son into my arms to show the guys.

"Link!" Ely cried, turning towards me, clearly upset.

"He's my son too." I replied over my shoulder as I held the baby tightly against my chest. Hunter got off his arse in the fluffy chair, and offered it to me. I had a crowd of men around me, complimenting his fine features, saying he would be a fine warrior.

We all looked at the girls in unison, only to see dangerous looks that seemed so out of place on the beautiful features. "Link, give me my baby."

"He's my baby too!" I defended, holding Caius against me.

"Wrong move," Vaughn whispered.

"Link, give me my son."

I chuckled nervously. "Hehe. . . I love you?" She crossed her arms. "Oh, come on, Ely! All you ladies are so tightly knit that none of us guys can see my wonderful son!"

She sighed, and asked Zelda if she could have some tea. Within the next seven minutes, the girls were gathered around a table, having a tea party. Vaughn bid me to come on a walk with him. I wrapped Caius in his blanket, and took him with me. We stopped on a bench, and sat down.

"You're scared, aren't you?" I smirked.

"Terrified." He admitted. "What if she dies?"

"Is Regina Rennifer normally healthy?" I asked, remembering confiding my own worries to Uli.

"Yes. . ."

"Than she should be fine. Strong women are known to give birth to strong babies. That's why I have Caius." I looked adoringly at my son.

"But what if-"

"Vaughn, you have to understand that you have the best of everything at your disposal. You're a king for crying out loud! Everything will be fine."

And I really hoped that applied to the rest of my life.

* * *

**Okay, if you haven't guessed yet, this chapter is told from Link's point of view. They have a baby boy named Caius, who will be narrating the sequel, once I write it. But don't count on it soon, because I'm currently working on two other stories as I update this one. _And_, this is the second to last chapter, the next chapter will be told in- drum roll please! *snare drum rolls by*- Kalle's point of view! Yay! He gets some love in the last chapter.**


	37. Epilogue: The Last Sheikah

Frowning, I leaned harshly against the shovel handle. I wiped the sweat off my brow, and leaned the tool against and abandoned building. Sighing, I grabbed the rock and my knife, beginning to carve into the stone.

It was slow and torturous work, I won't lie to you.

She was my grandmother, but I didn't have the money to pay for a proper tombstone, nor did I have the means to get it back to her final resting place.

Somehow, I think that as she watched me slowly carve into the boulder, she wouldn't be upset with me for that reason.

Yes, my grandmother Impaz was dead. She was old, and she lived a nice, long life. She did her job.

It was time for her to rest.

My tears were sure to leave a stain on the rock.

For everyone to see.

For them to know that _someone _grieved over the grandmother of the last surviving Sheikah.

The last woman of a dying race.

How far we have fallen.

We used to be a proud race that hid in the shadows, protecting and serving the Hylian family. But now, our name is just a whisper on the wind. Killed for loyalty, as they turned traitor with that horrible Ganondorf.

I stopped after I finished a word and used my scarf to wipe my tears away.

I caught my reflection in the stone, and remembered the times when Ely and I were trying to save Cateline.

Yes, a grown man is crying.

Laugh at my misery. Go ahead. My grandmother died a few days ago, and I'm the only one working on burying and remembering her.

It's hard being part of a dying race, I hope you know that.

It took most of the day to carve her tombstone. And it read a simple message.

_Impaz_

_Loving Mother, Savior Nana_

_Proud to be Sheikah_

Placing it at the head of her grave, I stood and tossed the shovel aside. Who would even see it to care? I walked inside her house and rewarded my hard work with a bath. Once I was clean again, I walked out of the Forgotten Village for one last time. One last touch. . .

I pulled a bow and bomb arrow out, lit the fuse, and let it fly. No more secrets will be revealed, our village is gone once again. Rocks slid at the force of the blow, and it was over. No more. The only way in and out of the village was gone. I cracked the bow in half over my knee, and threw it into the rocks.

Hiding my face, I began the journey to Ordon Village.

I was there in an hour, and by the time I was there, every sensible person would be asleep. I knew my destination, and I jumped to the second story of the Mayor's house. I opened the window a sliver and stepped inside.

I never got to meet little Caius.

The baby was in a cradle in the room, he looked just shy of a year old. With a quick glance, I realized that they were splitting the upper level into two bedrooms and a landing.

The baby slept on as I watched him, before the little eyes opened. I saw Ely's gold eyes, and some flecks of red in them. "You must be Kalle?"

"I am." I saw Link standing in the doorway.

"You were with her first, weren't you?"

"She was having some hard times. Will she be able to hear us?"

"She's basically dead downstairs. I think you would have to raise hell right now to wake her up."

I glanced at the wooden cradle, where the baby watched us with mild interest. "That's Caius, I'm guessing?"

"He's not some random baby off the street." Link grinned, "He has red in his eyes."

"I saw, not sure how."

Link nodded. "I've got a big day tomorrow, so I'm going back to sleep. Stay as long as you want, just leave before Ely gets up and if you take my baby, I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth." He paused in the doorway, "And I hope you know that his full name is Caius _Kalle_."

I heard the mattress shift as he settled back into bed with his wife, and felt a sudden pang of jealousy.

No, Kalle, don't think like that. Look around the house, you couldn't give her this. Look at that little infant; you couldn't give her him either.

Link was better for her.

I couldn't stay in one place for too long.

It would be impossible for me to live this life.

Link was better for her, and I knew it.

. . . I was just having some problems accepting it.

Suddenly feeling smothered, I opened the window and slid back out.

I couldn't give her this life.

I needed to let Ely go. . . But I don't know if I can.

I shook my head.

I was the Flying Shadow. That's my identity, that's who I was. That's who I was always going to be.

I was the last Sheikah.

**_FIN_**

**_

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_**

ZeldaMoogle, MidnaLovesLinktotheendoftime (_especially _you, for all of your reviews), Bloody Emma, FE Girl 1, Yuki Rein, imsunprincess54, sunny, fingersfallingupwards, forgiven4ever, and Kaijukote, I owe you so much! *tears up* I love you all, have some cookies!

And that's it, that's the end of this story. If you didn't guess, this is Kalle's chapter. I really hope you enjoyed this story, and I want to thank all the people that reviewed. 


	38. Tell Me What You Think!

**I know we're not really supposed to be doing this, but this is the only way I can think to get in touch with my dear readers. Who's ready for a long story? Who am I kidding? You guys yelled at me for short chapters! Last week, I was in a meeting for my AP Lang summer project (if anyone's read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, let's talk!) and they talked about how writing was never really finished. Long before this meeting, I had already started to rewrite this story. There's a lot of things I'm intending to fix with this rewrite, and since you're all lovely readers, I'm going to tell what you I'm going to _attempt _to improve. Note the italicized word.**

**Number One: Dialogue. I don't know if I've ever mentioned to you, but I do read every single review I get. Many of them do hold constructive criticism, which is always food for though. One reviewer, (who shall remain anonymous but they know who they are...but you all can find out quite easily, so, should they really remain anonymous? Hm... ANYWAYS!), brought to my attention that the dialogue taken straight from the game seemed kind of forced and out of place. When I originally wrote this story, I wanted everything to be authentic, so I took dialogue straight from the game. This time around, I will be changing the dialogue around entirely, so it will flow better with my writing style and also include Ely just as seamlessly.**

**Number Two: Relationships. I want to explore relationships more, Kalle and Ely's in particular. What this means is that the part where they save Cateline together will be a lot longer. He's also, hopefully, going to pop up more often through the course of Ely's time with Link in Hyrule, not just to talk with Ely, but for other reasons too.**

**Number Three: Characters. I finished reading The Great Gatsby last month in AP Lit, but instead of starting another book, we analyzed Fitzgerald's novel to pieces. It made me think about the significance of names. I usually spend days pouring over name websites to find the name for the main characters, but then the names for minor characters just spew out of my brain, sometimes based off people I know in real life, or just a randomly formed in my head. There might be some changes with those. Also, I want to explore their pasts a little more and have them play a more active role in the story. As I'm typing this right now, I've got ideas forming in my head for some of Ely's friends.**

**That's all I can think of right now, actually. So, if you're read all that, congratulations! Now, after laying out my own game plan, I'm opening it up to you guys! My only questions that I'd like you to answer are these: What do you think about me changing some of the characters names, so long as you were able to tell who it was in the old version? And would anyone be interested in seeing a oneshot of how Ely's life would've been if she had gone with Kalle instead of Link? Otherwise, send me suggestions, things you'd like to see, or even just drop by and say 'HI! via private message. School is ending this week, so I'll definitely get cracking on the rewrite!**

**Take care, everyone!**


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